He was standing on a platform that the harpies had fashioned for him, right in front of Dione’s face. Glenn found the arrangement odd, but Dione didn’t seem to mind at all, especially since she couldn’t feed herself, or even move, in this state.
“Dione, please eat slowly so you won’t upset your stomach.”
“Yeahhh,” Dione said, opening her mouth wide.
Glenn couldn’t help but notice that if she wanted to, she could swallow him whole. Taking care not to let his foot slip, he spoon-fed Dione. The milk had been boiled into the rice for too long on purpose, so it was mostly a pulpy while liquid. It didn’t look very appetizing, but solid food wouldn’t be good for Dione right now. Boiling it down to mush was just right.
“Mmm…mm…” Dione moaned as she slowly chewed. “Mm, nom…”
Glenn watched her carefully. The important thing was to stay calm, matching Dione’s movements.
“You don’t need to rush. Take your time swallowing. Your digestive organs are weakened, so you can’t eat a lot right now.”
“Thank youuu, buttt I’m always slowww.” Dione grinned.
She was good at taking her time. But this was also what had led to her nutrient deficiency. Even though the gigas were revered as gods, they had a harder time living than other creatures.
I wonder if that’s why she’s alone now.
If there was only one gigas left, then that meant Glenn was the only doctor who’d examined one. Cthulhy had met Dione before but had never examined her. Learning how to care for Dione’s health was just one of the many missions that Glenn needed to fulfill.
“Ahhh…” Dione opened wide again, waiting for the next spoonful.
Glenn scooped up more rice porridge and poured it into Dione’s mouth. When the sticky white substance touched Dione’s tongue, she started chewing.
“Mmm, nom…”
Then she swallowed it all.
“How does it taste?” Glenn asked.
“Mmm… Well, I thinkkk.”
“You think what?”
“It’s not enougggh…” Dione looked perplexed.
This was inevitable. The amount of porridge Glenn could scoop up in the ladle wasn’t even a mouthful for Dione. Of course she wouldn’t feel like she was truly eating. The pot next to Glenn was enough to feed a dozen humans, but it wasn’t even one meal for Dione.
“Sooo, I don’t really know what it tastes likkke.”
“Yes, you’re right. Sorry. But I don’t think it would be good for you to eat a lot right now.”
“Yeahhh, I never eat a lottt.”
“Once you’re better, you should start eating more,” Glenn said as he fed her the next spoonful.
He could see Sapphee watching from below. She was probably remembering the time Glenn had lost his footing while examining Dione.
Well, I’m not going to fall this time, Glenn thought to himself. He’d learned his lesson.
Dione opened her mouth wide again. When he’d fallen last time, he’d been buried in her chest and nearly suffocated to death. If he took a wrong step this time, he’d fall into her mouth.
“Here you go.”
“Mmm…mmm…nom.”
Each individual tooth was the size of Glenn’s whole body, and the large, undulating tongue was like a huge, ultra-thick snake. Each time Dione swallowed, he could hear the sound of the porridge sliding down her throat. Glenn swallowed hard himself. If he fell in, he’d be torn to shreds.
“Mmm-ahhh.”
After each swallow, Dione opened her mouth again without Glenn even saying anything. He was beginning to move by muscle memory. The next time Glenn went to pour a spoonful in, he missed a little. The porridge stuck to Dione’s large lip.
“Oh, sorry!”
“Yeahhh, it’s really harddd.”
The thick, gooey liquid started to dribble down. Dione stuck out her tongue to catch it, the massive red mass passing right by Glenn’s platform. She licked her lip clean.
“Perhaps I should put it directly into your mouth instead of dropping it in.”
Glenn’s platform was a bit of a certain distance away from Dione. To reach all the way into her mouth with the spoon, he would need to stretch his arms out as far as possible.
“Don’t worry about ittt,” Dione said.
But Glenn did worry about it. At this rate, there was a good chance he’d miss again.
“No, I think it will be better if I feed you properly,” Glenn said. “The sensation of having an actual meal is important for promoting gastrointestinal activity.”
Glenn got on his knees and stretched out his arms, aiming the ladle of rice porridge directly into Dione’s mouth.
“Hmm…it’s difficult,” he muttered.
“Ahhh, don’t hurt yourselfff…ahm.” Dione grew flustered as she reached for the ladle, her huge tongue moving right by his hand.
Okay…it’s a little difficult, but we can do this!
Food wasn’t just about absorbing nutrients. It was also about the flavor, who you ate with, and what you celebrated. Truly enjoying a meal promoted gastrointestinal activity and led to good health. That’s why mental unrest often manifested first with stomach issues.
Then again…
Even though it felt less like work and more like a meal when he fed her directly, Glenn wasn’t sure if the porridge actually counted as a meal for Dione.
“Ehh, heeey!” The gigas smiled broadly. “Tee hee! I’m happyyy. I can’t remember anyone ever feeding me in my entire lifffe.”
“Dione…”
“I’m happy to be able to say ahhh…”
“Well, that’s good to hear.” Glenn smiled back.
Without any other members of her species to keep her company, there was no one Dione could have fed or been fed by. Glenn hadn’t realized he was offering her such a valuable experience.
I’m glad for her.
If Dione was feeling up to smiling, then that meant she was starting to recover. But just as Glenn was beginning to have some hope—
“Umph?!”
He hadn’t been concentrating, and his foot slipped.
“Oh, no!”
Dione moved swiftly as soon as she saw Glenn fall.
“Ahm!”
She caught the doctor in her open mouth.
“Er!” It felt like his entire body was wrapped in a slimy, sticky tongue. Glenn held his breath, unable even to scream.
“Mmm, nom…nom…”
“Er!”
Dione’s tongue undulated. Now that Glenn was in her mouth, Dione didn’t know what to do with him.
“Th-thank you, Dione.”
“Mmmm…nom.”
“I’ll get out myself, so please try not to move too much.”
“Mmm.”
The only silver lining was that Glenn’s face was free, so once he got over his fear, he was able to communicate with Dione. He could feel her giant teeth pressing against his body. If Dione wasn’t careful, she’d accidentally bite him in two.
“D-Doctor, I’m coming!” He heard Sapphee’s voice coming from somewhere far away, but he couldn’t see a thing outside of Dione’s mouth.
How do I get out of this?
He went over the problem in his mind. He’d fallen from the platform, and Dione had caught him. Her giant tongue had acted as a cushion, and now he was gently stuck between her lips, completely inside Dione’s mouth from the shoulders down.
“Oooh…ngdo…” Dione was equally perplexed as to how to get Glenn out.
If Dione could use her hands, that might have made things easier. But it was clear to Glenn that she was half in a panic.
“Mmm, ahm-ahm-ahm.”
She’d gotten him out before when he was stuck in her bosom, but she’d also lost her grip and dropped him back in again. He didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
Dione’s tongue was starting to tickle.
“Mm, mmm!”
With Glenn in her mouth, she couldn’t form coherent sentences. Glenn’s clothes were soaked with her saliva, and every time her tongue moved, Glenn feared he would be eaten, even though he knew she had no intention of doing so.
“Okay…one, two…”
Glenn tried to use her teeth for support and push himself out of the top of her mouth. Dione seemed to be using her tongue to try to help him. She couldn’t just open her mouth and spit him out—there was no telling how or where he’d land if she did so. It was a delicate endeavor, like tying a cherry stem with your tongue.
It’s even harder than I thought.
Glenn moaned. His entire body was drenched. If he slipped down any further, he might engage Dione’s gag reflex and force her to start coughing.
I want to avoid that.
He’d once seen Dione sneeze…and the terrible aftermath that followed. If he was spit out with that much force, he’d fly through the air and slam into the ground. The very thought made Glenn pale in the face. He redoubled his efforts, pushing against Dione’s slippery teeth and somehow lifting his torso out of her mouth with a slurping sound.
“O-okay…now I need to somehow…”
Glenn was interrupted by Dione’s tongue touching his feet.
“Mmm? Nom, gulp.”
She was trying to read Glenn’s next move and keep her thick tongue out of his way. Given how long her tongue had been on him, he wondered if this counted as a kiss.
No…this isn’t the time for those sorts of thoughts.
“Ngmo?”
Dione let out a strange sound, as if she’d read Glenn’s thoughts.
“I’m going to touch your lips a little.”
“Mmo, mmm!”
Glenn interpreted this as consent and began to press against her lips. He figured from here he could probably get himself out the rest of the way, but then—
“Mmaaggh!”
Glenn felt his body moving upward.
“Oh, ohhh…”
“Mmbayyy.” Dione stuck her tongue out.
Glenn was being pushed up toward the platform. Sapphee was already there, and she snaked her tail around his body, pulling him toward her.
“Doctor! Would you stop falling into Dione?!”
“S-sorry! I’ll be more careful!”
Dione’s exam ended up sapping far more stamina than he’d anticipated. He might have to start working out.
“Are you okaaay? I’m glad you’re not hurttt.”
Glenn stared at Dione, dripping with spit.
“Thank you. You saved me.”
“Yeahhh, it would have been terrible if I accidentally swallowed youuu.”
Dione was sweet as always. Glenn really felt relieved despite the embarrassment at his own clumsiness.
“I’m amazed you didn’t drop the ladle,” Sapphee said.
“Y-yes…”
Glenn had done everything he could to hang on to the ladle while in Dione’s mouth.
“Now, then. We shall continue after I’ve changed my clothes.”
It wouldn’t be sanitary to feed Dione while covered in her saliva. The rice porridge would have to be remade, too.
“That’s fiiine. I can waittt.” Dione smiled wide, revealing her cave-like mouth.
Glenn felt a chill run down his spine.
He vowed to be extra careful going forward, so he wouldn’t come that close to being swallowed ever again.