Charlie landed on the outskirts of the large bay that the lapras called home, flaring his wings as he stumbled onto the icy shore. Anchoring himself in place with his talons, he stared out across the water; the rising sun painted the slice of ocean with a splash of brilliant oranges and reds. Dozens of lapras swam between enormous cracked ice sheets sprinkled about the bay, both ice and pokemon casting long shadows as the sun made its steady climb up the sky. 

It was very pretty, but that didn't stop the sinking sensation deep in his gut, didn't stop him from hesitating. Didn't stop him from thinking this was a mistake, that he shouldn't have come. What had he been thinking, coming out here to watch his friend lay? It didn’t make sense. He'd be staring at her vent as they came out, one after another, each as wet and warm and covered in gross goop as his own egg had been. The very concept was invasive. A perversion of Nicky’s privacy.

Worse was the fact he kinda sorta still liked Nicky. He couldn't deny the very real possibility staring under her tail might, maybe, excite him. Have him rethink things with certain pokemon. At least until the eggs arrived and snuffed out any and all arousal.

He wondered if Nicky felt the same. She mentioned her eggs were smaller, surely that felt more like using the bathroom than feeling as though your insides were becoming your outsides. He hoped so. From his understanding, lapras laid a lot of eggs--a dozen, maybe more.

The very thought of squeezing out a dozen eggs forced his tail feathers against his rump. 

"Charlie?! I thought-- I didn’t think you’d come!"

Charlie looked up and was greeted by the beaming smile of a young lapras. She swam to shore with great expediency, weaving between two herd members--the adult lapras gave him curious looks before continuing on their lazy swim. They were mostly used to his presence, even the ones Charlie hadn’t personally met. It would be hard not to notice the only fletchinder on the island. 

"Hi, Nicky," Charlie said as Nicky arrived. "Um, I decided to pop by. You know. If your offer is still open. Um." He scuffed at the ground, talons scratching at the ice. "I'm sorry for being so weird about your idea yesterday."

Pink spread out across Nicky's cheeks like a gentle flame. The lapras arrived at the edge of the shore, and Charlie flapped closer to hear her better. 

"It's okay," she said. "I'm really glad you're here! I was anxious that I weirded you out when I went home last night.” Charlie winced. “Anyway, I'm heading to my practice nest now. Wanna come? My mom set it up for me when I first started laying. It's this private little cove close to the bay. I sleep there sometimes. Has a cute little cave area and some rocks I can rest my neck on. It's cozy!"

It sounded cozy, for a lapras. Her definition of 'cozy' was probably on a whole separate level than his. Charlie stared at her for another few seconds.

"...This isn't weird, right?" he said. "Do other lapras watch each other lay? Is this normal?" 

"Not exactly?" she said. "I mean, my mom got me to watch her when I was little. Get me used to it; show me it isn't scary. I've never heard of it happening outside of a family though." She glanced around nervously. "Um, good point. Maybe don't tell anyone?"

That totally made him feel better about this. 

His nerves must have shown, because Nicky scooted onto shore and nudged him with a flipper. He flinched away from the cold, wet touch. 

"Sorry," she said, rubbing her front flippers together. "I'm really happy you're here and I keep putting my flippers in my mouth. Let's talk more in my practice nest, okay? My belly hurts and I want to get this over with."

Charlie relaxed after seeing the genuine discomfort on her face. Not that he liked seeing his friend in pain, but being reminded what they had in common eased the anxious energy bouncing around his stomach. Laying eggs might be easier for lapras, if she were to be believed, but knowing she still got cramps strengthened his feelings of belonging. They were going through something only they could. None of their other friends laid eggs. Lance, for obvious reasons, and Lexi, because she had to have sex to give birth. Live birth. Which sounded horrifying in its own way, but at least it was avoidable if you didn't put a penis in you. 

Lexi did occasionally complain about cramps, though, so perhaps they weren't too different after all. 

Nicky led him across the bay, Charlie clinging onto her shell. The rigid carapace was wet and smelled like the ocean, making him even more anxious about all of the water around him. At least he didn't have to fly above it. That would have been just terrible.   

They soon arrived at the cove. It looked like a cave of sorts, mostly water with a rim of rock surrounding a circular pool; with Nicky settling into the center, there was plenty of space for her to fit. He wondered where she'd be laying the eggs. Underwater? Or would she have to lift her butt onto the dry (ish) rocks? 

Moving away from that weird mental image, Charlie happily jumped off Nicky's back and onto the rim of the cove, stumbling slightly at the landing. Nicky giggled, and Charlie, feeling hot, defended himself, "It's slippery!"

The ridiculousness of the situation sent them both laughing. It felt nice. When the humor died down, so too did Nicky's expression. 

"Um, my eggs are coming soon," she told him, trying very hard not to make eye contact. "Are you sure you want to be here? It doesn't hurt very much, but sometimes it gets messy. Like, there is goop and stuff. And, um, I have a weak bladder." Here she flushed, and her flippers slapped the water, to the point he had to back up to avoid getting splashed. "I sometimes go when I'm laying. I would pee in the water, but you're here, and I kinda forgot to go earlier..."

Charlie never considered that. He didn't have a bladder, but he knew Nicky did. The thought of watching her was strange. He'd always been curious about that bodily function. It wasn’t quite like what he did, he knew, and it was entirely liquid instead of what he produced. Using two separate holes for waste sounded like a hassle though. He definitely felt more streamlined in that respect. 

"Why can't you go with me here?" he wondered aloud. "It's not like I haven't seen pokemon pee before. It's not that big a deal. Lance was never shy about it. Never seen a lapras pee though. I'm kinda… kinda curious."

While he didn't have first hand experience with the activity, he absolutely witnessed plenty of pokemon take a leak. His dad, Lance, Lance's siblings, Lexi. Peeing wasn't considered private, contrary to the other order of business. The only one he hadn't seen pee was Nicky. Which made sense; lapras mostly lived in the water, and Nicky went out onto the snow through sheer willpower. He always felt bad for that. 

Nicky looked at him with wide eyes. "Really? Um, I've never peed in front of a friend before, it's always in the water… this shouldn't be weird, oh but it feels weird."

Charlie shrugged his wings. "I don't pee, so it doesn't feel embarrassing for me either way. And it is kind of exciting to think about." Did he say that aloud? Oh, Arceus, he did! He was soooo weird! "Sorry! I, I didn't mean--"

"You can watch," she hurriedly cut him off. "Um, so do you want a close look? If you're really curious I… I can do that, if you want."

Charlie's mind whirled with indecision. Watching someone pee wasn’t the weirdest thing in the world, but he did wonder if it would be going too far. Mature vulpix and ninetales tended to have an interesting relationship with pee, at least that's what Lance said. Something to do with smells and heat and other things Charlie couldn't relate to given his bland sense of smell. He wondered if Lance was into it. Would he be disappointed that Charlie couldn't contribute? 

"Okay." He glanced down at her tail. It remained lowered, covering her bits. Her only form of modesty. It was fascinating and scary to think that, just under that stub of a limb, eggs would be leaving her body. But before that, a completely different substance. "Um, don't tell Lance about this. He might get the wrong idea."

Nicky repositioned herself in the pool so that her backside faced Charlie, propping herself up on something underwater he couldn’t see. She looked over her shell with her long neck, and gave him a nervous smile. "I won't tell him. I know we're just friends, but… I hope you like what you see."

And then she lifted her tail, unveiling the treasure underneath. Charlie's breath hitched. He'd dreamed of this moment. Of being privy to a secret show with Nicky. And now that he was living it, he couldn't tear his eyes away. The preeten lapras' vent sat before him, looking puffy, inflamed. An otherwise immaculate horizontal crease, parted ever-so to reveal the deep pink within. 

Charlie almost wished this was something sexual. That they could have indulged in one, just one, act of intimacy together. No one would have to know. They liked each other. Surely it would be fine?

Ignoring the traitorous thoughts, Charlie asked, "Is… is it like that because of the eggs? You know, all puffy and red?"

"Kinda. Lapras go into heat when we're laying. Our eggs are wet and permeable, so fertilization usually happens right before laying." Nicky lowered her head, a nervous smile on her face. "Lapras babies don't have shells and they actually have gills, so they hatch and grow underwater.  We lose our gills and grow our shells after a couple years. They're also super adorable, when they're not being pains in my butt. Ugh, my siblings are always bothering me. "

Heat? Did that mean Nicky was aroused? Dread settled in his gut, heavy like that egg he'd laid all those days ago. This was a mistake. He would only be hurting her by being here, tempting her and flaunting what she can't have. What they couldn't have. Why didn't she tell him she would be horny? If she had, he wouldn’t have come--

Oh. 

The dread deepened. "You're not, um, expecting me to help you, right?"

Her eyes widened. "No! This isn't like that. I definitely wouldn't be opposed-- I mean, you're-- I wouldn't ask that of you! But, ah, I do have to, um… take care of it." Her front flippers flopped against the water. "You know. It makes me lay. Since laying is supposed to happen right after mating, I can't really lay early unless I," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "cum."

Charlie grew dizzy. He felt warm, like the cave was heating up and everything around him was melting, including him. Especially him. He never expected to watch Nicky masturbate, especially not like this. A week back, this would be a dream come true. Was she telling the truth? Did lapras really need to… cum… to lay eggs? Wouldn't that feel weird? How could anyone bring themselves to an orgasm with the promise of squeezing out eggs in their future?

"Can I pee now?" Nicky's question tore him out of his thoughts and back to the confusing present. The lapras rocked back and forth in the water, her tail twitching, a desperation to her expression. "I really gotta go."

"Y-yeah," he said distantly. "Go ahead."

He'd discuss her apparent need for masturbation after she relieved herself. 

Nicky didn’t waste another moment. She raised her tail high as it could go, spread out her hind flippers, and released a waterfall. Charlie stood, stunned at how quickly things escalated. Urine cascaded down her backside, hitting the water with an angry roar and spreading an off-yellow stain. And that was only the beginning. The torrent grew larger, more powerful, the noise of the stream only increasing with its size, bending away from her now-gaped folds in a perfect arch that barely missed the rocks at the edge of the pool. 

Which was good, because Charlie wasn't convinced he'd survive getting hit by that monster of a flow. Just in case, he backed up to avoid any splatter. Getting wet was bad enough; he did not want to smell like lapras piss on top of that. Even if splashback would likely be mostly water, he did not want to risk it. 

When her flow eased, he thought she was done. But then she grunted and spurted, releasing a final few sprays. He couldn’t look away. Her vent seemed to unfold with each push, revealing the slightest hint of pink. Once Nicky squeezed out the last dribble, the lapras sighed with earned relief. 

Charlie peeked over the rim of the cove, and whistled at how yellow the water had gotten. "Do lapras always pee that much?" Charlie said, genuinely curious. But then he added, "Where do you store it all?"

Despite her flush, Nicky managed to snark, "My bladder. Duh."

Charlie was going to say something witty, he totally was, when Nicky winced and let out a groan. 

"Ah, okay… I need to, um, ease myself now. It's getting uncomfortable. You don't have to look, I'm just going to, uh, you know."

Actually, Charlie didn't know. How did a lapras masturbate anyway? Doing it as a fletchinder was tricky enough, but she had flippers that absolutely did not reach down that far. 

As he stared at her vent, wondering about the logistics of lapras self-care, Charlie realized he wanted to watch. Not only that, he wanted to touch her. But he couldn't. He wasn’t willing to do that. As curious as he was about Nicky, about how her cloaca worked, about how she felt, he couldn't do that to Lance. He liked Lance a lot. As a friend, as a confident, and even as something… well, it wasn’t love, he didn’t think. But this was still so new to him that he doubted he'd know love if it smacked him up by the side of his head. 

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Can I watch? Not in a sexual way, I just-- I'm curious how a lapras, you know." 

Maybe he could even ask to help-- he stomped down on that line of thinking before it could spread its wings.

Nicky stared at him for so long he almost expected she'd say no. "You can watch," she eventually said. "Um, and I do it by rubbing against a smooth rock. See? It's over there."

Charlie followed the tilt of her head to a stone he hadn’t noticed initially. It looked smooth enough, and it stuck out in a vaguely phallic shape, but it was lumpy, definitely not something he'd want near his sensitive bits. Not that Nicky had many other options. After all, without another lapras to help her out, rubbing against rocks seemed about the only solution to her problem.

Unless I help her. The thought made him click his beak nervously. 

Nicky didn’t wait for him to mentally catch up. She swam to the rock, keeping her tail raised, and slowly backed up. Her vent squished against the stone, and sigh escaped her lips at the no-doubt soothing sensation. Even if it was a rock, this was the best she had. 

Charlie watched Nicky make awkward motions against the improvised sex toy, sliding it in and out of her now-gaping cloaca. He knew she was virgin. Knew she didn't have anyone to relieve herself with. The feeling was relatable. Before Lance, he had no one either. And even with Lance, Charlie knew what fire brewing within your gut was like. A flame that needed to be put out, only nothing worked. Knowing they had similar parts only deepened the sense of belonging.  

Lance would understand. Right?

Nicky gave a frustrated growl as the rock slipped out and pressed into her tail, and Charlie couldn't help himself. "Do you need help?" 

He spoke with barely a whisper, but Nicky turned her head so fast he heard a pop. Indecision raged within her eyes. Then relief. 

"P-please."

Charlie knew this was his last chance to stop. This would be a turning point in their friendship they could never take back. He moved forward, one foot after another, headed for the Lapras' trembling backside and determined to help out his friend in her moment of need. Her cloaca was an angry red around the edges, the small amount he could see inside, even more so. He wanted to dive in and… and what? Lick her? Shove his beak inside like he had during his own, ahem, sessions? Would he even make a difference? She was enormous; the size of her opening looked capable of swallowing him whole. Making her feel good seemed an impossible task.

He clicked his beak, at a total loss how to help. 

"Nicky?" Charlie said after nearly ten seconds of staring. "What do I do?" 

Nicky seemed equally unsure as she replied, "I… I don't know. Your beak isn't sharp, is it?"

"No, it's not sharp," he said. "You want me to, um..." Her opening clenched as he watched, squeezing out a thin line of fluids with an audible squelch. Under his own tail, his cloaca winked. 

"S-sorry," Nicky blurted, "it does that when I'm excited. You're really cute and I've had dreams about this moment and-- oh gosh, did I just say that?" 

Charlie nearly immolated right then and there. "It's okay, I, um… It's cool. I'm excited too. You're really cute too, you know that? N-not that I'm hitting on you or anything!" he quickly clarified as Nicky’s blush grew in intensity. "It's just a fact."

"Yeah, I know you aren't," she said, voice tight. "Just trying to make me feel better. I get it."

"No! I mean it. You're good looking! And your cloaca is-- it's very-- it's hard to look away from." 
He stumbled, panting hard. He couldn’t remember a time being so flustered and anxious. Everything felt hot. His face, his chest, and especially the spot burning between his legs. It was horrible. He needed to cool off. He needed… he needed to... 

His gaze fell back onto her vent.

Before Charlie could think it through, he blurted, "Can we kiss cloacas? That would help you orgasm, right? It would be softer than my beak and nicer and feel better for both of us and-- I mean, um." A dread fell over him. "Just for a second? To feel what it--" He shut his beak. This wasn’t helping. Nicky looked close to fainting. "I mean, uh, I didn't mean it?"

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut, and braced for Nicky's reply.

"I-- Yes! Oh my gosh, yes!"

His eyes shot open. "What? Really?!"

Nicky shook with what looked to be anticipation. Or was it nerves? Probably both. He could relate. He was trembling too.

"Yes, really!” she said. “You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that. Now hurry up and do it!" Nicky scooted her rump further back, lowering the front of her body deeper into the water. "I think we both need this.”

Operating on instinct, Charlie didn't wait: he jumped into the air and flew the short distance to her raised behind, landing near her leaking cloaca. He slipped, but a talon got caught between two of her scales, saving him from a potentially embarrassing fall. She didn't seem to notice. 

This close, Nicky's vent encompassed his vision. Bigger than half his body, he had slight doubts whether she'd even feel him, but he was excited nonetheless, winking constantly under his tail. It was difficult to care about the logistics of how when he was about to be with the object of his desires. 

Something in the back of his mind tickled. Like he was forgetting something important. But what could it be? 

"Wait!" Nicky cried, interrupting his thoughts. 

"Why?" Charlie winced at how much like whining that sounded. He wanted nothing more than to press his aching, pulsing sex against Nicky's. Why should he wait?

"This is sex! We can't-- I can't do this."

Icy wind blew over his feathers. She was right. Sex. This was actually sex. If he pressed his vent against hers, they'd officially be mating. He never… he never considered that. He looked down at where their feminine bits nearly touched. Lance's heartbroken face filled his vision, and with a strangled cry, he leapt off of Nicky's backside and stumbled onto the hard cave floor. 

He stared up at Nicky, and she stared down at him. His cloaca continued to pulse, warm and needy, his stance leaving nothing to the imagination, showing Nicky exactly how excited he was. He hopped back onto his feet and fluffed his feathers, deeply ashamed by what they--what he--nearly did. 

"I'm sorry--"

"I'm so--"

They blinked at each other. If the situation weren't so tense, Charlie bet they'd have burst into laughter speaking over each other like that. 

Charlie went first. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've been teasing you all night, and then I nearly-- Arceus, I nearly cheated on Lance…"

"I think we both got carried away," Nicky whispered. "Um, the compliments didn't help. You got me really riled up." She squirmed, a flipper lightly tapping the water. "I'm not used to being called cute. But you're with Lance, and I--I knew that. I was ready to just-- you know?"

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. I know. Ugh, why are we so horny?"

Nicky giggled. "I'm technically in heat, remember?" she pointed out. "Maybe you are too? I don't know how bird pokemon do things, but all pokemon have to, um, mate before making babies. So you're all worked up because your body wants to make a baby. I guess? It makes sense. I think."

It did make sense. Way too much sense. "Oh. That's… oh. I don't know how to feel about this."

"How about we forget this happened and you use just your beak, okay? I really have to lay.” Nicky shifted in the water. “You know those cramps you felt?"

Charlie winced at the memory.

"Mhm. They get worse the longer I don't orgasm. Especially since I tried and stopped halfway through. So just, let's do what we're here for. I won't judge if you have to, um, wing off or something while you're helping."

Nicky was smiling, letting him know that was a joke. He giggled. 

"I think I'll be okay," he replied with a beaky grin. "Um. You want me to put my whole beak in you? I've done it while getting off before, but--"

"Your beak sounds lovely," Nicky said. She shuffled her butt further onto land to give him better access. “I’m ready. Just, um, be careful, but don’t be too careful. I’m not fragile.”

This is really happening. It's not sex like we almost had, but it's the next best thing. He shook his head. Bad Charlie, it's not sexual. This isn't cheating. Don't think like that. Maybe I’ll show Lance just how much I’m not cheating by letting him try my cloaca next time… mhm. 

The thought was more appealing than he expected. 

Charlie stepped toward the presented backside of one of his best friends. The lapras' cloaca loomed underneath her relatively tiny tail, gaped and leaking and needier than anything he'd ever seen. He shuffled his wings and shook his tail feathers. Knowing that he was supposed to, well, eat her out was an odd concept. Almost unreal. But this was real, and he couldn’t delay, lest he further drew out Nicky’s discomfort. 

Her cloaca had a scent. Subtle at first, but further revealed itself the closer he got. Not… unpleasant, though also not pleasant. A mixture of urine and arousal and something else Charlie couldn’t quite put his beak on. 

He chuckled at the unintentional wordplay.

Then there was the heat. Nicky was an ice type, so he expected her to feel chilly down there. Not so. Even without touching he could feel the waves of warmth radiating from her sideways vent, generating a subtle steam that rose off her sex like his own hot breath in the frigid climate outside. Charlie wondered if she felt as warm as she looked.

Moments before he was ready to touch her, to press his beak into her most private of parts and give her pleasure, Charlie hesitated. This was it. He’d make Nicky orgasm--something he wasn’t entirely sure he could do--and then watch as she squeezed out egg after egg. It was exciting, honestly. Thrilling. Knowing that it was him she trusted enough to do this, to watch this. It drove him forward. Literally. His beak found its way smushed against the outer rim of her sex, pressed against her warm, squishy upper lip. 

Nicky gasped from the touch. “I can feel you, oh gosh…”

Charlie didn’t respond. He was too busy rubbing her soft outer cloaca with his beak, getting a feel for the slickened flesh of the large female. The thought of where he was and what he was doing gripped his heart with a kind of excited fear. 

After familiarizing himself with her upper lip, Charlie readied himself to delve in. He took a deep breath, letting her intoxicating scent wash over him, and then shifted down, slipping the tip of his beak into her plump and squishy folds. Nicky tensed at the contact, and Charlie marveled at the feelings the sensitive nerves in his beak were all at once privy to. 

With the slightest effort, he pushed forward, entering Nicky for the first time. 

Nicky’s reaction was immediate. Her insides gripped him with an eager hug, as though her cloaca was welcoming him, or afraid he'd go away. But he managed to wiggle deeper, until the puffy upper lip of her vent was all he could see. With his beak fully inside the enormous orifice and his eyes stinging from the moist heat, Charlie had to wonder: how much more of him could fit?

“That feels nice,” Nicky said, “but, um, but you’re a little too close to my tailhole. T-try moving down a bit.”

Charlie flushed, and obeyed without question. He wasn't quite ready to explore that aspect of his friend. Nope. Nuh-uh. The right hole was easy to find, his beak sliding fully inside the wet channel in one smooth motion, earning him a relieved sigh from Nicky. Her cushy depth clenched him as warm fluids dripped down his chest. 

There was only one left left to do, and the thought of doing it had his heart fluttering in his chest. He had made it this far, no turning back now. 

He opened his beak inside Nicky and stuck his tongue out. Everything he could reach was fair game. The walls which greeted him had an unsurprisingly bumpy texture, similar enough to his own vagina to really slam home that they both were female, and his vagina really was his vagina. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around that fact. 

It wasn’t long before Charlie realized he had no idea what he was doing. How could this feel good to Nicky when his beak was so small? She was whimpering, pushing back against him, but it still seemed impossible. With Lance, it was easy to imagine the pleasure his throat gave him. A wet, hot tunnel to squeeze him tightly, active in a similar way a vagina might be. It had obviously felt fantastic--he was quite proud of that fact. But here, with a small beak, an even smaller tongue, and the lack of skill to make up for it, there was no way Nicky actually enjoyed--

"Ah-- I’m-- hnnn!"

--this. Charlie pulled out with a loud pop to avoid being crushed by the lapras' suddenly collapsing walls. He could hardly believe it, even as he stared at the trembling results. Nicky was having an orgasm. Her tail quivered and her cloaca clenched and relaxed, each squeeze sending out a squirt of fluids that would have splashed into his face if he hadn't seen it coming. 

This was… much more violent than Charlie's own orgasms. And it refused to stop. The frequency of the contractions may have diminished, but the power remained strong. Every few seconds her now-gaping vent squeezed, leaking a steady dribble of fluids. It even opened up enough for him to see her anus for the first time. Now that had him smoldering with embarrassment.

When Nicky's pleasured gasps and squeaks changed into "ows" and groans, he realized the eggs were coming. 

Somehow, Nicky telling the truth about how her biology worked seemed even more out there than her lying to get him to beak-fuck her. 

Charlie hopped in place, at a loss. "Is… is there anything I can do to help?" He licked his beak; the lingering taste of Nicky's fluids did not help his nerves. "Does it hurt?"

"N-not a lot," Nicky said, sounding out of breath, "but the contractions suck. This is actually only my, um, second time doing this…”

Charlie could only stare in stunned silence. From the way Nicky spoke about this, he’d have thought she’d done this more than once before. But once he really thought about it, it made sense. Nicky wasn’t that much older than him. He wasn’t sure how lapras puberty worked, but if their cycles were anything alike, it made sense this was Nicky’s second clutch. 

A question popped into Charlie’s head. “How did your first laying go? Was it scary?” 

Nicky groaned for a moment instead of answering. Her tail remained hiked as it flicked from side to side, as though Nicky was trying to ease her contractions by focusing on her tail. He wondered if it actually eased the discomfort. 

“My--hnnn--mom helped me through it,” Nicky said through clenched teeth. An empathetic pain began in his own gut, like a tingly jab, followed by a clenching sensation deep in his cloaca. An echo of his previous laying. “It was really embarrassing when she, um, s-showed me how to orgasm. I had ten eggs; they tasted super weird, but mom says it’s the best way to clean up after, so…” 

“You eat your own eggs?!” Charlie blurted, nearly falling over with shock. The physical revulsion he felt was nauseating. 

“H-hey, don’t judge! Mom says it’s perfectly nor--” 

Nicky cut herself off with a hiss. The reason soon became obvious: emerging from the lapras’ vent was a shiny orange orb, spreading her swollen vent like a mouth readying for a smile. An egg. He was watching her lay an egg. 

Vertigo washed over Charlie like the first time he jumped off a cliff. This was really happening. The egg nearly popped out of Nicky with the first contraction, only for her muscles to suddenly constrict, pulling the egg partly back inside, nearly erasing all her progress. The lapras panted for a moment, her flippers visibly quaking, only to grunt as another contraction struck, the egg being shoved back out. And this time it went all the way. There was a soft plop, a groan of relief, then the egg was falling, hitting the cave floor with a splat.

Charlie stared at the squishy looking orange blob for what felt like hours. It was big. The size of his head, at least. But when compared to Nicky's vent, it looked almost tiny. He clenched his muscles as memories of his own laying invaded his mind. Feeling his cloaca stretch far too wide, experiencing the horrible contractions; the days he stared at his egg, an irrational fear that, what if, just maybe, his child--her child--would hatch from it, thrusting Charlie into a premature motherhood. 

There was another soft plop, shaking Charlie away from the uncomfortable reminiscing. A second egg had landed next to the first. Just as orange and just as fragile looking. They were pretty, in a way. Translucent and orange, with a barely perceivable blue edge to them, he'd  almost call them beautiful. 

The rest of the laying went by quickly, maybe even smoothly. As though Nicky's muscles finally realized the best, most efficient method for passing eggs. So while the third and fourth eggs arrived seconds apart, the next four seemed connected by an invisible strand as they spilled from Nicky in a thick, gooey clump, adding to the growing pile below. 

The entire event was simultaneously revolting and deeply fascinating. But the scent that filled the cave was incredibly weird. 

It was only now that Charlie noticed Nicky's whimpers. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." There was a sniffle. "N-no. Laying eggs sucks." She shuddered as another couple eggs fell from her vent.

Charlie snorted before he could stop himself. Nicky looked affronted. 

"Sorry! I'm not laughing at you, I just agree way too much with that. But look on the bright side. At least your eggs aren't as big as mine! They'd, what, be the size of my entire body if we scaled it up?"

Nicky shuddered again, but not from an egg. "I'm so sorry you had to--hnn--to through that. I almost feel lucky." Another egg, another plop, and another noise of discomfort. "I… I think that's all of them. Stupid contractions. Ow."

Charlie agreed. Ow. The way her cloaca kept pulsating would have been hot if not for the context. Again, it was nice to know he was still mostly straight. Or did that make him a lesbian? Bisexual? Probably that last one, with him sucking off Lance and all. Also dating a boy. That too.

Nicky stared at the pile of fresh eggs, looking pensive. Charlie nearly asked if she was planning to eat them, only to hold his tongue. He didn't want to be mean. It was also gross and he didn't want to accidently encourage her. Ew.

Eventually, Nicky's insides stopped their needless contractions. Charlie could tell by the way the lapras slumped, as though all her muscles suddenly went slack, obviously relieved. She lowered her head to the ground in front of him and groaned. "I could sleep the rest of the day. I'm exhausted."

"You look exhausted," Charlie agreed. 

Though he was sympathetic to Nicky's plight, he was also envious at how much easier she had it when compared to his single, massive, egg. He knew the comparison wasn't fair, but he couldn't help being jealous. A bunch of small eggs sounded leaps and bounds more manageable than squeezing out half his freaking body mass in a single go. 

Contractions sucked all around at least.

He shifted his weight between his feet for a moment. "Hey, um, thanks for letting me be here. I know this was a private moment for you, and, um, I think I feel a bit better about my own laying. Knowing I'm not alone. It's nice. You know?"

Nicky looked up with tired, half-lidded eyes. "Mhm, I know exactly what you mean. I'm sorry I acted how I did when you laid. I was confused and I freaked out and I'm a terrible friend."

Charlie tilted his head. He didn't know what she was talking about at first, only for his eyes to widen as he remembered. A giggle escaped him at the memory. "That? Don't worry about it. I’d have also freaked if my guy friend suddenly started laying an egg. So, how did it feel? Laying a bunch of them at once? It looked horrible."

Nicky raised her head slightly. “It mostly sucked, but there were a few moments that almost felt good.” Charlie must have looked about as confused as he felt, so Nicky explained, “Like, um, right when the eggs come out. The contractions hurt so much, but when it’s over there’s this rush. A sense that I did it, like my body is celebrating, and I can feel my i-insides fluttering and empty and…” She trailed off, blushing hard. “You know?”

Strangely, Charlie kind of did know. Thinking back to that moment was difficult. As though he were actively blocking the memory. Which he guessed he was. When the egg came out, in that single instant, he had felt empty. It was a relief to feel all that pressure vanish. He tried to imagine that happening over and over, in smaller doses, with smaller, squishier eggs

“Almost like a mini orgasm,” he whispered in realization. “If only it didn’t hurt so much, right?”

Nicky raised to her full height, towering above him. She giggled. 

“If only!” she agreed. “Seriously, if I were Arceus, I’d have made laying eggs feel good.” They smiled at each other, and Charlie felt warm, complete. They were sharing a moment, this moment. Two pokemon who knew what they went through, being there for each other. Nicky’s smile softened. “Hey, Charlie? If you ever need help laying, I’m-- I’m here for you. Any help you need.”

It was Charlie’s turn to blush. “Uh, Lance already offered to help me with that,” he said. Feeling awkward, he scuffed his talons against the cold rock. It didn’t help. “Sorry.”

To his surprise, Nicky giggled again. 

“Why are you sorry? That’s great! Lance really is a good friend, isn’t he?” Her smile grew mischievous. “And an even better boyfriend. Make sure he licks you down there, okay? It really does help with laying, and since you two are together, he doesn’t have to hold back!”

“N-nicky?!” Charlie protested. 

Without missing a beat, she continued, “And make sure he gets reeeally deep and hits all the best parts. But not too deep: don’t want him to lick your egg!”

Charlie fluffed up his feathers and covered his face with his wings. When did such a shy lapras get so good at teasing? Not fair!

Nicky’s laughter boomed throughout the cave as Charlie immolated with embarrassment.