#cassandra is an absolute force to be reckoned with for being un-phased by this and she has my utmost respect!

[monthofsick]

No second chance for a first impression

Nov(emeto)ber 2022, Day 2: Hiding it (or at least trying to)

OCs: Calvin, Cassandra

This one's a bit of a slow burner. I'm often too impatient to draw out the nausea part, but the "desperately trying to hold it in" trope seemed so fitting for today's prompt.

TW: Vomit

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Sometimes, the unwritten laws of social behavior made the simplest things incredibly complicated. It was such a fine line between friendship and romance, easily crossed with a single step. But for some reason, it was commonly seen as the most drastic of changes. All of a sudden, there was so much more at stake and the shift in dynamic created a ripple effect, strong enough to tear an entire circle of friends apart.

And still – Calvin couldn’t deny that he liked Cassandra. Liked her in more than just a friendly way, and it only got worse over time. She was obviously gorgeous, but the real issue began after he got to know her better when she wasn’t with Natalia. Nat and Cas were high school besties – an unlikely friendship between the glamorous queen bee and the nerdy art fanatic. Maybe the obvious difference in popularity was the reason why Natalia’s personality rubbed off on Cassandra way more than the other way around.

Cassandra was strong, undoubtedly, but Calvin wondered if the in-your-face confidence and feisty attitude were acquired traits to hold her ground next to a natural born diva. It was exciting to discover her creative and quirky side. Her dreams and plans and favorite things. The countless craft projects she had started, but never finished. It was like pieces of a puzzle coming together until everything made sense.

If only there weren’t so many pitfalls if Calvin dared to make the first move. If Cassandra rejected him, their interactions would inevitably become awkward for all eternity. If she was ready to take the leap, but they would eventually break up, their friendship would be doomed. And no matter if their relationship worked out or not, it had the potential to shatter their friend group.

Long story short, Calvin wasn’t quite ready to go all in, but he still used every opportunity to spend time with Cassandra. So when she invited him to her little sister’s school performance, he was over the moon. Due to the limited number of seats in the auditorium, every family was only allowed to bring one friend, and Cas had chosen him – not Natalia, him. Calvin decided to dress for the occasion with a dark grey jacket, a petrol coloured sweater and black chinos.

A good first impression was especially important since the whole thing felt a bit too close to meeting his future in-laws for the first time. Calvin’s anticipation was soon overshadowed by increasing anxiety. As he finally arrived at their meeting point in front of the school, his stomach was in knots. It didn’t help that Cassandra looked absolutely stunning in her light blue dress with puffy sleeves, an empire waistline and a short, yet very voluminous skirt. Just in case she needed anything more than her unicorn hair to stand out from the crowd.

Doing his best to hide his nerves behind a smile, Calvin approached Cassandra and her family. Her parents were formally and modestly attired, a stark contrast to their daughter’s preferred clothing style. Calvin had worried that he might be overdressed, now he almost regretted not showing up in a complete suit.

„Hey, Cal, over here!“, Cassandra waved as she noticed him. „Mom, Dad, this is Calvin.“

„It’s so nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Petrakis“, Calvin greeted and shook their hands with a firm grip, hoping his palms wouldn’t be sticky. „Thank you for having me.“

„It’s a pleasure“, Cassandra’s mother replied. Her tone was polite, but it lacked cordiality.

„You look younger than I expected“, Mr. Petrakis remarked. Whatever that was supposed to mean. Calvin felt a drop of sweat running down his back.

„Oh, yes, I get carded all the time“, he laughed and scratched his head.

„Our daughter told us that you are a very responsible and hardworking young man.“ Mrs. Petrakis‘ facial expression was impossible to read, but for some reason, her seemingly kind words made Calvin even more uncomfortable. „We hope you can have a positive influence on our Cassandra. She seems to believe that a solid education is out of fashion.“

„Or a solid marriage“, Cassandra’s father added. Calvin felt a lump in his throat. His intuition hadn’t deceived him, this was uncomfortable as hell.

„…or maybe we could not have this conversation right now.“ Cassandra’s smile had turned from genuine to forced in record time. „Let’s go inside before the buffet is empty and the best seats are taken, shall we?“

„You can tell me more about your academic ambitions later“, Mr. Petrakis said and gave Calvin a pat on the shoulder. „Now let’s watch our beautiful Carissa sing. She even has a solo part.“

Calvin and Cassandra exchanged one last look before they followed her parents into the brightly lit school building.

-

The variety of savory, sweet (and rather greasy) treats looked enticing in theory, but Calvin wasn’t hungry at all. Maybe it was because his nerves hadn’t been given a chance to calm down yet. He grabbed one of the tuna sandwiches and a large cup of water, hoping no one would notice that he spent most of the time drinking instead of eating. The white bread was soggy and bland. Calvin was glad when they finally entered the auditorium and took their seats. Cassandra placed herself between Calvin and her parents.

„Sorry, I should have warned you“, she whispered into his ear.

„Nah, it’s fine.“ The last thing Calvin wanted was to make her feel even more embarrassed than she probably already was. If he ever wanted to be more than just a friend for Cassandra, he had to get along with her parents anyways. Problem was, he didn’t feel fine at all. The small triangle of toast he had consumed refused to settle in his stomach. He took the last sip of water from his cup, but that only made things worse. Maybe drinking so much hadn’t been a good idea. Calvin felt the liquid sloshing around in his belly, accompanied by a gurgling noise.

For a moment, Calvin thought about taking a trip to the restroom. But then again, the performance was about to begin and he really didn’t want to squeeze by Cassandra’s parents and the other people in their row. It would probably get better on its own if he just focused on deep breaths and tried to relax.

The big show started only moments later, validating Calvin’s decision not rush off to the toilet. He shifted around in his seat, trying to find a comfortable position. A stern‑looking lady on stage gave an overly long speech before the choir finally entered the spotlight. Cassandra nudged Calvin with her elbow and pointed at a girl with long black hair. Calvin nodded, hoping he hadn’t winced in pain. The slight push had hit him like a blade in the intestines, followed by a series of cramps.

Calvin placed a hand on his abdomen. There was definitely something going on beneath his palm – a constant bubbling and boiling under the bloated, sensitive surface. He felt queasy and began to doubt if it was actually just his anxiety.

At last, the choir broke into a rendition of Imagine, drowning out the angry growls Calvin’s stomach produced. But even though the students created beautiful harmonies, the strong sensory impression only fueled his nausea. Calvin clung to the mantra he repeated inside of his head – inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. It didn’t make him feel any better, but at least it gave him something to focus on.

Two songs later, things had only gotten worse. At this point, Calvin felt his shirt sticking to his back. Why did he have to wear so many layers anyways? He couldn’t tell if he was just warm or feverish. Another jab hit Calvin‘s side and he could barely hold back a moan. Fighting hard not to show any signs of his growing discomfort, Calvin leaned towards Cassandra as she brought her lips up to his ear.

„Next is Carissa’s solo.“ Her breath tickled as she spoke. Under different circumstances, it would have probably turned him on. Now it messed with his senses even more. He made a sound that resembled mhm, then stared at the stage again. His stomach heaved like an elevator, riding straight up towards his throat. To Calvin’s horror, it actually brought up a mouthful of warm fluid. He instantly swallowed it back down, but it left a bitter taste and a mean sting.

Calvin felt like the excess water inside of his belly was foaming as if he had ingested washing powder. There was no way he could leave right now, just before Carissa’s big performance. On the other hand, there was no doubt he would be banished forever from the Petrakis household if he ruined their beloved daughter’s solo by puking all over the guy in front of him. He had to hold it in, even though it seemed like a losing battle.

The sweet melody of Somewhere over the Rainbow filled the room. Carissa was illuminated by a single beam of light. Her voice was enchanting – clear, bright and innocent like that of an angel. Calvin took a peak at Cassandra and saw that tears welled in her eyes. She was often annoyed by her younger sister, but she still loved her. She was proud. Just thinking about her anger and disappointment if Calvin destroyed this special moment felt like punch in the gut.

Maybe it was the mental pressure on top of the nausea that caused his stomach to cramp again, sending up a surge of vomit. Calvin clamped his lips together and forced the foul tasting liquid back down. It caused his stomach to churn and twist even harder. The acidic taste of spoiled tuna made his mouth water for all the wrong reasons. No matter how often Calvin swallowed, the saliva would rapidly fill up again. His abdominal muscles wouldn’t stop tensing, determined to initiate the purging process.

Never had a song felt so much like an excrutiating eternity. Calvin’s breath had become shallow, he barely dared to move his body at all. When finally, the last note faded out and the audience gave a well-deserved applause, it took every bit of Calvin’s strength to share an enthusiastic smile with Cassandra. He knew that she expected some kind of glowing reaction, so he clapped and nodded and prayed internally that it looked like he had thoroughly enjoyed the show. Cassandra seemed to buy his act, probably due to the bad lighting.

There was no time for relief. The next song followed immediately, and so did another gush of sick. It flooded Calvin’s mouth and assaulted his tastebuds with the flavor of rotten fish. Swallowing suddenly seemed like a complicated exercise and he needed several attempts until he finally managed to choke down the regurgitated mess. He knew he wouldn’t be able to do it again. Standing up didn’t seem like a managable task either. The movement was probably enough to make his entire stomach contents burst out of him.

Calvin didn’t have much time to think of a rescue plan. His belly was fed up with his stubbornness and convulsed painfully. Now it was a much bigger wave that rushed up his esophagus. Out of sheer desperation, Calvin bent over like he was feeling for something on the floor. His cheeks bulged out, but he couldn’t clutch his mouth with a hand – he needed one to pretend he was fumbling around and the other one to reach for the cup he had emptied before. The only dam between him and the storm tide were his lips, pressed together as tightly as he could.

Careful not to make a suspicious movement, Calvin brought the cup to his mouth, begging that it was big enough to contain the flood. Then he finally parted his lips and let the vomit pour into the container. It wasn’t as much as he had feared, but he wasn’t done yet. Another stream of liquidy puke shot up his throat and it took all of Calvin’s body control to let it out with nothing but a muffled hck. The cup filled up quickly with milky fluid and shreds of tuna. Calvin knew that he had to stop now if he didn’t want to risk that his receptacle would overflow. Unfortunately, the stench of his own sick was enough to make him gag again. The fact that he was doubled over so much that his face was hidden between his legs, didn’t help either to fight the force of gravity.

With his eyes pressed shut, Calvin brought up a thicker mush of tuna paste and toast lumps. They plopped into the pool of vomit, causing it to rise even more and more, filling up his cup to the brim – but not enough to break the surface tension. Calvin took a few breaths through his mouth before he was certain that nothing else would come out of him. As carefully as humanly possible, he placed the barf cup under his seat and wiped his mouth. The nasty brewage had smelled absolutely sickening when it had been right under his nose, but since it was mostly water, he hoped that the odor wasn’t strong enough to alert his seat neighbors. Calvin braced himself before he casually sat up again.

The first thing he saw was Cassandra, staring at him with wide eyes.

She knew. She had noticed. Of course she had – it was an impossible mission to throw up discretely in a row of seats. Calvin’s cheeks radiated heat and he couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. He felt thoroughly defeated and humiliated. Wrapping his arms around his aching stomach, he sank further into his seat and waited for the nightmare to be over.

-

It didn’t take long for the nausea to creep up at Calvin again. There was a glimps of false hope when the last song ended, but then he still had to endure the exuberant applause, an encore, a closing speech and even more applause. When the show was finally over, Calvin’s stomach was at his throat. He had no idea how to face Cassandra or keep up the facade in front of her parents. All he wanted to do was to flee the scene, head home and curl up under his blanket for at least a week. On top of that, Calvin felt horribly guilty for leaving a brim-ful cup of puke for the unsuspecting cleaning crew, but now that the lights were on, he couldn’t pick it up without everyone noticing.

With legs that felt like pudding, Calvin trudged behind the overjoyed family. Mr. Petrakis couldn’t stop praising his daughter’s immaculate performance while his wife had to mention that Cassandra used to have quite a pleasant singing voice as well. When the parents were already heading towards the exit, Cassandra suddenly stopped.

„Can you guys wait outside for a minute? Nature’s calling and I gotta listen.“

„Sounds like a good idea.“ It was quite the challenge for Calvin not to chime in too quickly. If he looked anywhere near as awful as he felt, his attempts to keep up a happy face and a relaxed posture were destined for failure anyways. Gladly, Mr. and Mrs. Petrakis were still busy reveling in parental pride.

Cassandra grabbed Calvin’s wrist and pulled him along. To his surprise, she headed past the restrooms, down another corridor towards a flight of stairs.

„Uhm… haven’t we just missed the turnoff?“ It was supposed to come off as a joke, but Calvin’s voice sounded awfully strained. Walking made his stomach spiral out of control and it wasn’t long before he had to blow chunks again.

„Have you seen how crowded it is? Sorry, but I don’t think you’d make it if you had to wait in line. Plus, there’s no way I could sneak in with you unnoticed.“

„Wait… why would you do that?“ Calvin paused as climbing the stairs only fueled his inner turmoil. He simply didn’t dare to keep his mouth open. A sickly groan formed back in his gullet as his belly spasmed again.

„Why wouldn’t I? You’re sick. Obviously. Would be kinda shitty to leave you alone like this.“ Once they had reached the second floor, Cassandra steered Calvin towards a small niche with three garbage cans. „Here we are. Go ahead and lose the rest of your lunch. The other restrooms are locked at night, so you don’t have much of an option.“

„But… someone will have to clean it up… I feel bad enough for the barf cup under my seat.“

„Don’t worry so much. There’s a trash bag inside, they can just dump the whole thing.“ Cassandra pushed him towards the large buckets, then put her hand on his back to bend him over. Calvin sighed and gave in. The idea of throwing up in the open made him feel exposed and vulnerable, even though no one but Cas was around. However, it was definitely better than hurling all over the floor. As soon as Calvin brought his head closer to the containter, intense nausea exploded in his stomach. He jerked forward and retched sorely.

„Come on, get out the poison.“ Cassandra slapped him between the shoulders, forcing out an even more violent, yet still unproductive heave. Suddenly, Calvin felt Cassandra’s breath on his cheek. Her soft lips were so close that they almost touched his skin. Her long lashes tickled his jawbone. Then she whispered with a low, sensual voice: „Seafood platter.“

Calvin’s stomach lurched instantly and projectiled a massive wave of puke out of his mouth and nose. The trash bag crackled as it was weight down by the copious amount of liquid. Cassandra stayed close to Calvin, firmly rubbing his back.

„There you go“, she soothed him. „Vomit it up, babe.“

It was the first time Cassandra had called him babe, but Calvin didn’t have much time to rejoice. He coughed harshly as a thick mass crawled up his throat and slipped over his tongue. Calvin cringed in disgust as spongy chunks of bread plunged into the lake of sick below him. With his arched back convulsing against Cassandra’s palm, Calvin gagged until he brought up watery bile, clinging to his lips and nostrils in long, slimy strands. He continued to dry heave and spit until his stomach finally realized that it was empty.

„Fuck… I’m so sorry“, he panted, hands braced on his knees.

„What are you apologizing for?“ Cassandra dug out a packet of tissues from her bag. „Can you turn your head a little so I can wipe your face?“

She carefully cleaned away the stubborn strings and stains, then she let Calvin blow his nose. He couldn’t hold back a retch when he felt soft chunks coming out of his nostrils.

„Hope I didn’t spoil the evening for you“, Calvin rasped and straightened himself.

„Don’t be ridiculous. That super secret tactical chunder was impressive as hell. You didn’t spill a single drop. Even though I’m pretty sure no one would have judged you if you just went to the restroom instead.“

„I didn’t want any of you to notice.“ Calvin’s head felt even warmer than before. Good thing that his dark skin made it harder to tell when he blushed. „You know, this was my only chance at a first impression and…  y’all were so thrilled when your sis had her solo, I didn’t want to ruin the moment. And then it was too late.“

„You know what?“ Cassandra’s lips quirked up only the slightest bit. She wrapped her arms around Calvin, careful not to squeeze him too tightly. „That’s actually super sweet.“

Calvin’s heartbeat accelerated, but this time it wasn’t caused by nausea. Her touch and her closeness were both comforting and exciting. He wished he could take Cassandra home and cuddle up with her in bed until he felt better. If only her parent’s weren’t waiting outside.

„Thanks for, you know, taking care of me.“

„No biggie. I would have probably puked as well if your parents greeted me like this.“ She smirked and looked up at him. With the height difference between them, Calvin could have easily rested his chin on top of her head. „Come on, let’s tell mom and dad that you have to cram for a big exam. Best way to get away quickly and impress them with your dedication.“

„Sounds like a plan.“ Calvin was still shaky on his legs, but with Cassandra’s hand holding on to his own, it was a lot more tolerable. Maybe the outcome had been worth all of his efforts.

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Archive of our own: Up all night to get Bucky

tumblr: birdnamedenza

#submission #tw emeto #tw vomit #novemetober 2022 #nov(emeto)ber 2022 #fandom: original characters #nov(emeto)ber #novemetober #2022 day2 #prompt: hiding it (or at least trying to) #um i feel so called out by the first fucking line :') #i can taste how fleshed out these characters are and i love it #insufferable parents so true #anyway this is a nightmare scenario and i adore this fic #cassandra is an absolute force to be reckoned with for being un-phased by this and she has my utmost respect! #birdnamedenza