Work Text:
“You okay, Shiv?”
The octoling broke out of his stupor with a jolt, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Looking over, he saw Frye and Big Man fixing him with concerned gazes. He hadn’t even realized he’d been staring into nothing.
“Y… yeah. I guess I just didn’t sleep well last night.” he replied, voice wavering the slightest bit. “I feel a bit woozy, but I’m fine.”
As he spoke, the burning in the back of his throat just got worse. He felt it tighten, and he took a long breath through his nose.
“Ay… (If you’re sure…)” Big Man didn’t seem convinced. “Ay ay. (You don’t have to go on if you’re not feeling well.”
Shiver, to the best of his ability, flashed them both a grin. “Like I said, I am perfectly fine.”
Big Man still looked skeptical, but glanced away. Frye, however, just frowned, before reaching forward to squeeze his hand. Shiver hadn’t expected that, but he squeezed back in an effort to reassure her.
Truthfully, he was in full blown panic mode.
He knew what the burning meant. It had been a constant for a few days, but he assumed he could at least make it through the rest of the day without- well, without it happening.
Not now, not now…
A crew member suddenly spoke up. Right, they were in the recording studio. They were about to do their second rotation announcement of the day. Shiver suddenly became aware of the small crowd of cephalings gathered outside the giant window into the studio, all watching and waiting in awe.
It’s just some banter. It’s just a few minutes of banter, and then more, and another round…
Frye suddenly elbowed him, and pointed to a particular octoling in the crowd- it took Shiver a moment to recognize the orange tentacles, but he soon registered that it was Three, dressed in what seemed to be a Grizzco uniform undershirt.
Of course Three would just so happen to stop by today.
He managed another shaky grin as the other two members waved at the agent. It was a good distraction. Distractions were good. Yes, he could definitely get through the day’s Splatcasts, so long as there was never a moment of quiet and not a single second of time to think about the predicament he was in.
With a yell from the jellyfish crew, the camera started rolling.
Like an automated windup toy, Shiver took out his fan and went through the motions.
“Listen up! It’s going down!”
He’d done this countless times, it barely needed a second thought, which was good. He wasn’t exactly in prime “thinking” mode right now. Each of them recited their lines without issue, until it came time to announce the rotations.
Frye and Big Man seemed to have some quips planned, leaving Shiver to simply observe. That was no good. He couldn’t find an opening to interject, and his eyes ended up wandering back to the crowd. To Three, whose eyes were firmly fixed on him, smiling contently.
Shiver flashed yet another strained smile, but his heart dropped when instead of returning the grin, Three’s eyes widen.
Pressing a hesitant hand to his lips, he looked down at his fingers only to see them tipped with amber liquid.
Before he can even register it, he notes Frye and Big Man looking at him expectantly.
Ah. My turn to speak.
“And that’s it… for now.”
Miraculously, he manages the first line just fine.
“Ay! (Let’s get out of here!)”
“From Splatsville, t-that’s… a wrap.”
The second line doesn’t come out as easy. Shiver’s hearts race.
He doesn’t miss the confused glance from Frye, before they all simultaneously stand up and pose-
“Catch ya later!”
The moment the cameras stop rolling, Shiver doubles over in pain.
“SHIV!”
Frye yells out in alarm as she watches her partner keel over his desk, hands clutching the wooden corners so hard his knuckles turn white. Before anyone else in the room can even react, she lunges for him on instinct alone, to hold him-
“Frye, don’t touch me!”
The desperate cry stops Frye right in her tracks, eyes going wide. He stares back at her, gritting his teeth, eyes wild. Her hands shake- why had he yelled like that? Why wouldn’t he-
She barely registers Big Man rushing over, shielding the octoling from the crowd outside without a second thought. One of Shiver’s hands flies to his throat, and Frye’s heart lurches at the sight of amber dribbling down his chin through clenched teeth.
“Ay?! (Shiver?!)”
Big Man is waving his fins in a panic, the crew are concerned and agitated, not being able to see what’s happening due to the manta’s size. A few of them go towards the group to assess the situation, but Shiver’s eyes go wild in panic.
“Don’t-” the octoling manages to heave up at Big Man, “don’t let them near me.”
The command is warbled and not very authoritative, but Big Man broadens his wingspan without question, and shoots the surrounding crew a serious look.
“Ay, ay. (Everyone, please leave this to us.)”
One particular jellyfish, holding the clapperboard, looks back at the manta ray, unconvinced and stammering. “U-um, okay, but…”
A commotion by the side of the studio wrests Frye’s attention away for a split second, before she sees an octoling run in with another jellyfish hot on her heels.
“Someone’s here to see you!” the smaller creature yells, “Says it’s urgent! Um, I hope that’s okay-!”
Shiver manages a throaty growl at the sight of the new arrival. “Oh great, just bring everyone I know over here, why don’t you.” He starts hacking again just as the rest of the crew begin to trail out of the room with concerned glances.
The arriving octoling stops just short of Shivers’s trembling form, expression incredulous. “Seriously? You’re managing to snark me despite all this?”
“Three?” Everything had happened so fast, it had taken Frye a moment to register the agent she had just seen outside was now in their studio, somehow.
Part of her, despite it being in her nature to be inviting and smiley, was annoyed at her sudden arrival, seemingly allowing herself into their studio while chaos had broken out. Her ear twitched in annoyance, which Three seemed to pick up on.
“Sorry for, uh, intruding…” she had the decency to look sheepish, “I just thought there should be another octoling here.”
“Why? What’s happening to him?” Frye shot her a glare, eyes darting between her and her partner.
“Nothing, I’m- urghh…” the latter didn’t sound nor look very convincing.
Three ignored the inkling’s question. “Shiver, when’s the last time you-”
Shiver attempted to interrupt. “Quiet!”
The outburst made the inkling jump, questions still not answered. Frye was getting desperate at that point, speaking loudly to be heard over her partner. “Three, tell me what’s wrong with him, why can’t I-”
Why won’t he let me near him?
Despite the pleading gaze Shiver shot her way, Three answers.
“It’s octoling venom.”
The room, now with only four people in it, goes quiet. Shiver shuts his eyes tight, looking away.
“What?” It’s all Frye can say.
“Ay? (Wait… really?)”
Frye can’t believe her ears. Did everyone know what this was but her?
“Someone better explain, now.”
“Ay ay! (First we need to get Shiver to a better location.)” Big Man says.
Frye nods, leaning down to help Shiver to his feet, but the octoling flinches away from her. Frye feels her stomach drop as her partner doesn’t even look her way.
Instead, he looks to Three, who kneels to his level. “Here, I’ve got you.”
The other octoling brings Shiver to his feet, having him sling an arm over his shoulder to support him. Frye doesn’t move as she watches the other three hobble out of the room. Big Man shoots her a glance, before following the octolings from behind.
Frye feels a pang in her heart, before wordlessly going after them.
“Ay… ay ay… (Well… I remember learning about the evolution of octoling venom before, but…)”
The group surround Shiver, the octoling laying across the sofa of his dressing room. Three grabs a box of tissues from across the room, and hands it to him. Under their piercing stares, he can’t help but want to crumple into himself, shame and embarrassment pooling off of him.
Worse, Frye won’t stop looking at him with the saddest eyes he’s ever seen. Her ears, usually up and alert, droop considerably, and Shiver wants to punch himself for being the reason she looks so miserable.
Yet, at the same time, he can’t help but feel… frustrated.
“Allow me.” Three nods to Big Man. “Our predecessors were a venomous species, as were yours, Frye. But your kind evolved and became a close community, so much so that most of you lost the need to produce venom to protect yourselves.”
“I knew that.” Frye answered, voice level. “But octolings…?”
“See, the majority of octolings are different. We haven’t evolved out of it yet, but we’re not always venomous. We consciously aren’t.” She glances at Shiver, before continuing. “We store it. So we don’t harm anyone. But all that venom doesn’t just disappear. So…”
As if to make her point for her, Shiver coughs loudly into a tissue.
“It has to be expelled at some point. Once it becomes too much.”
“It- Shiver…” There’s that look again. Shiver wished he had his fan on him so he could shield himself from it. “Has this been happening your whole life? Why haven’t I…”
Shiver couldn’t meet her eyes. “It always seemed to happen when you two weren’t around. I had it perfectly under c-control.”
That didn’t seem to be enough of an explanation, evident by the way Big Man frowns even deeper, prompting him to go on.
“But… we’ve been spending more time together. I knew it was coming up, but… couldn’t find an excuse t-to get away.”
It was obvious who he meant by ‘we’. He and Frye had been dating for four months now, and could barely stand to be apart. Frye was extremely affectionate, and didn’t take very kindly to being separated from her girlfriend for longer than necessary, though they hadn’t quite arrived at the ‘sleeping in the same bed’ point. By morning, she’d be all over him, whining about how long she had to go without him near her.
Not to mention, with all three living in an apartment together, it wasn’t exactly easy to stay secretive and isolated. Anytime he stayed in his room too long, one of them always came to check in on him. He was usually grateful for it. He owed it to them to be honest and open, after all.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them. But the last thing he wanted was for them to witness him like this.
“Shiv…” Frye’s voice cracked, and Shiver’s shame only deepened. She looked over at Three. “How long will he be like this?”
The agent put a hand on her chin thoughtfully. “Mm… probably… well, Shiver, when was the last time this happened?”
The blue octoling stilled, fiddling with his hands as Three’s stare only got more intense at his silence. He swallowed.
“Um… about… 8 months… ago.”
“You-” the agent’s eyed widened, eyebrows furrowing before pinching her brow. “Okay, I’m not gonna call you fish for brains because you’re in a lot of pain right now. But seriously? Three months late?”
Frye shot her a stunned look. “Are you saying this happens every five months?”
“It’s supposed to. But this guy’s been consciously storing venom for an extra three months!” She directed his ire directly at Shiver, who buried his face in a pillow.
“Shiver, why?” Frye’s devastating gaze was back on him when he dared to look, and he cringed underneath it, feeling another retch coming.
“I-I… don’t look at me like that. I didn’t wanna worry you.”
“You kidding?” Frye almost yelled, throwing her arms up in the air. “I’m all worries right now!”
Three just shook her head. “You’re gonna pay the price for that, too. Probably gonna be like this all day.” She frowned deeper. “The process is usually only supposed to last an hour or so, but storing it for this long is gonna have you out of commission for much longer.”
“Ay, ay… (Three, maybe lay it on a little softer…)”
Shiver dismissed the agent’s reprimand with a wave of his hand. “I’ll be fine. Give me until our next scheduled Splatcast today, I’ll be fresh by then.”
Frye and Big Man looked at each other. Shiver recognized that look- it usually meant he had just said something completely crazy.
“Uh, nuh-uh, mister!” the inkling crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowed. “There is no way you’re doing Splatcasts today.”
“Ay, ay! (Neither are we, for that matter!)” Big Man chirped.
At that, Shiver balked, propping himself up with his arms. “What? Guys, you-”
Big Man simply ignored him. “Ay, ay ay? (Frye, could you go tell the crew to play our pre-recorded splatcasts for the rest of the day?)”
Frye hadn’t seemed to be expecting to be the one sent away, as her glare turned to surprise, eyes darting between the manta and her partner. She seemed to be having an internal conflict, but she finally replied, “On it!”, before dashing out of the room.
Shiver attempts to call after her, but she’s gone in a flash. He slumps back into the sofa. “Guys, no, don’t. I’ll be fine.”
“Ay! (Nope! Deep Cut doesn’t perform when one of us isn’t up to it.)” The manta is all smiles, and Shiver grits his teeth.
The discomfiture returns, more potent than ever. Pre-recorded Splatcasts where for when they were all busy with banditing, or family emergencies- not for when Shiver inconvenienced everyone with his own stubbornness.
Frye comes back almost immediately, all smiles as well, shooting a thumbs up in Big Man’s direction.
“We’re all set! The crew was worried, too. They aren’t holding it against us.”
The manta ray turns to the octoling agent, bowing slightly. “Ay. (Thank you for checking in with us, Three. We’ll be taking Shiver home now.)”
She gives a polite nod, “No problem. I should get going too, got a shift with my neighbour today and she gets pretty impatient if I take too long.” then looks to the ailing octoling, expression solemn, “Take care, Shiver.”
Shiver hated this. More than words could possibly describe.
Frye’s humming was usually a balm to his pain and worries. Her voice was sweet and light, so jovial and loving. Right now, though, he wanted to get as far away from it as possible. Just a reminder that she was bearing witness to everything he was going through right now.
His current set up was a lot more suffocating and elaborate than his temporary stay in the dressing room. Changed into a comfortably loose t-shirt patterned with small sharks, and in black shorts, he lays on his back. Big Man had brought him about a dozen pillows, and they surround him on their massive couch (they needed one big enough for the manta to fit on, after all). He was draped in just as many blankets, old ones he thought they had thrown out, dusty from their stay in the closet. Clutching a pillow to his chest, he sighed at the ceiling, and eyed the adjacent trash basket piling up with paper towels. A Clam Blitz tournament played on the TV, more for background noise than anything else.
“Hmm, what to feed you…” above the arm rest of the couch, Shiver could see Frye sift through the cupboards in the kitchen, moving aside boxes of crackers and cereal, before settling on a box of broth. “This isn’t really a cold, is it? Maybe not soup… unless you want soup?”
Shiver props himself up weekly, arms trembling, a scowl of irritation overtaking his features.
“Frye, I’m not totally incapacitated.” the waver in his voice betrays him slightly, “I-I can make my own food.”
He attempts to push himself back up fully, but his body is seized with another round of retching. His throat tightens and he grabs a paper towel from the coffee table to cover his mouth. Frye is leaning over the armrest of the couch when he finishes spitting.
“Don’t give me that- I get to play the role of doting girlfriend which means I have to make sure you’re comfortable!” she beams, fangs sticking out, before she makes her way over to his side and leans down-
“You can’t.” Shiver dodges her head, pointing to his lips. “Remember? There’s literally venom in my mouth.”
“Ah… right.” Frye pulls her head away, smile twitching momentarily, before it’s replaced by an attempted enticing gaze. “You just look awfully cute for someone with a deadly poison spilling from your lips.”
‘Attempted’ being the key word here, yet Shiver goes beet red instantly, shooting her an incredulous glare. “You cannot seriously be flirting with me right now.”
Frye grins even brighter, obviously proud at having flustered him. “Of course I can! Don’t underestimate me!”
Again, she goes for his cheek, before-
“Frye, what did I just say?”
Shiver’s tone is much more forceful this time, aggravation rising in his stomach. Frye withdraws again.
“Oh… yeah. Sorry.”
The aggravation is gone at the sight of her face falling, ears drooping slightly. Shiver feels he was way too harsh, but then again, he would never forgive himself if Frye came into contact with the venom. It wasn’t lethal in small amounts, but ingesting even a little would make her sick for days. Shiver couldn’t allow that.
“…’s fine.” he manages to mumble, more shame gnawing at him.
The two fall into silence, broken only by the sound of the Clam Blitz tournament on TV as well as the honking of the city below. Frye keeps staring at him, with an expression he has trouble reading, one that he hates. The quiet is unbearable, Shiver has to wrench his gaze away from hers, stomach lurching, for reasons unrelated to the venom.
“Ay ay! (I’ve got your guys!)”
The commotion brings both their attentions to the source, Big Man, who appears at the end of the hallway to Shiver’s room, proudly holding three different shark plushies.
Shiver stiffens at the sight of them. “Did you go into my room?!”
“Ay, ay ay. (No choice, unless you didn’t want me to bring you Jared, Toast and Ice Cube.” The manta ray hobbles forward to deposit the plushies onto the lounging Shiver, who grabs all three protectively. He loathed anyone going into his room, but…
“Fine. You’re forgiven. But that’s not Jared, that’s Bloodfang. Jared has a slightly lower left eye and has white fangs.”
Big Man’s tail lashes. “Ay! (Don’t go getting worked up, now!)”
“I’m not, it’s just very obvious by the literal red fangs on this one that this isn’t Jared. He’s got blood fangs, it’s in the name.” Shiver says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, using his finger to scrape a speck of dust off of Ice Cube’s tail.
Big Man looks amused, but he just turns away dismissively. “Ay, ay, ay. (I get it, I get it. Seriously, did you paint those on yourself?)”
Shiver opens his mouth, but instead of an answer, he starts hacking again, this time much more forcefully. Big Man tuts at him disapprovingly, before noticing Frye, staring into nothing and standing off to the side without a word.
“Ay? (You okay, Frye?)”
“Huh? Oh.” The inkling’s dull stare snaps into something more alert, as if suddenly remembering where she was. “Oh, yeah, I’m just trying to think of what to feed him. It’s not like he’s sick, so I’m not sure what could help…”
“Ay, ay. (Well, Three told me she usually goes for cold food when she’s like this!)” Big Man offers helpfully. “Ay ay. (It helps soothe the throat, at least.)”
“Oh, good call!” Frye beams at him, looking back at the octoling. “Any preferences, Shiv?”
Shiver scoffs, body still trembling from the intense coughing. “I don’t need anything.”
“Ay, ay? (He usually likes those red popsicles we get at MakoMart, right?)” Big Man ignores him, still addressing Frye. “Ay? (Do we have any of those right now?)”
“Hmm…” Frye quickly makes her way back to the kitchen, opening the freezer and rummaging around before shrugging. “Doesn’t seem like it. Weren’t we due for a grocery run?”
“Ay… (Right…)” Big Man sighs, looking at Shiver and then back at the inkling. “Ay? (Frye, could you run down to MakoMart to get some?)”
For the second time that day, Frye is caught off guard. “Wh- oh. Yeah, okay!”
She clearly hesitates before grabbing a shopping bag they kept on a hook by the door. Shooting one last look back at her girlfriend, she’s off.
Shiver can’t help but be relieved. Part of him feels terrible for thinking it, but another part rationalizes that it was just the octoling instinct kicking in.
A third part of him already missed her.
“You keep sending Frye away.” he had intended it to be phrased like a joke, only for it to come out laced with sadness.
“Ay. (Shiver.)”
The octoling froze as he suddenly realized Big Man was shooting him a terribly intense glare, fins crossed. Shiver smiled nervously.
“W-what’s up?”
“Ay… ay? (Frye… you can tell she’s upset right now, right?)”
Shiver sighed, having seen this conversation coming. “…yeah. I can.”
“Ay? (And why might that be?)”
“Uh…”
Big Man loomed over him. “Ay. Ay ay. (Because you were being reckless. She’s beside herself with worry right now.)”
A spike of anger flared under Shiver’s skin. “I know that.” He grumbled.
“Ay. (She hates seeing you like this, you know.)”
“I know that.” it came out as a hiss. “What do you want me to do about that now?”
Shiver rolled over onto his side, letting his arm hang off the sofa. Toast fell of as he moved, and Big Man leaned down to pick it up for him.
“Ay ay. (I know you didn’t tell us because you didn’t want us to worry for you.)” Big Man’s tail lashed to-and-fro, clearly irritated, before handing the shark back to Shiver. “Ay! (But look at us now!)”
The octoling gripped the stuffed animal hard. “Listen. I’m- I’m sorry.” The sight of Big Man being upset with him was a rare one, making his anger subside to be replaced with more shame. He looked to the floor. “I just… I hate being pitied. And the way she was looking at me…”
“Ay, ay… (Shiver, she’s not pitying you…)” the manta interjected again, softer this time. “Ay, ay. Ay. (She wants to comfort you, but she feels like she can’t. She’s angry at herself.)”
“How could you possibly know?”
“Ay. Ay. (I’ve known Frye longer than I’ve know you. I can tell.)”
In his hearts, Shiver knew he was right. He usually was. But how could he possibly explain? How could he tell her, someone who was always doing her best to support others, that the best way she could help him would be to leave him alone?
“Ay, ay. Ay ay. (When she gets back, I’m gonna step out for a bit. Please talk with her then, and be considerate of how she feels.)”
“…Okay. Thanks, big guy.”
The solemn expression on his face vanishes once Shiver cracks a tiny smile, and he brings a wing forward to pat the octoling’s head before-
“No touching. Remember?”
Frye hums quietly as she turns the key to the apartment, opening up the door to see practically nothing had changed while she was gone. Shiver was still lying on the sofa, though the trash basket was noticeably stacked even higher with paper towels. The sight made her hearts clench, but she didn’t let it show, instead skipping into the apartment with a smile.
“Hey Shivy! Sorry for taking so long. But I had to make a quick stop!” she pauses to look around, noticing a missing presence. “Where’s Big Man?”
Shiver stirs at her arrival, clutching Bloodfang tightly in a way Frye finds terribly cute. “He stepped out not long before you got back.”
Frye stops at that. “He just left you here alone?”
Shiver frowns. “I’m not going to die if I’m alone for a second, Fry-Fry. I can handle myself.”
Frye mentally curses at herself, the atmosphere from earlier returning. This sucked. Wholeheartedly. Frye knew Shiver wasn’t in any actual danger, the process was normal, after all. But the way he dismissed her concerns… it made her heart ache.
“Yeah… sorry.” she manages to stammer.
Shiver winces. “I-It’s fine.” He sits himself up to eye Frye’s bag. “What was the quick stop?”
“Oh! Right!” Yes, the opportunity she’d hoped to set up! She beams as she reaches into her shopping back. “Ta-da! Got you a new friend!”
She holds up the pink shark plushy proudly. It was Squalentines Day themed, evidently, with red hearts on its cheeks and big cartoonish eyelashes. She’d seen it in the window of a thrift store and instantly knew she needed to get it for him.
Shiver smiled the widest she’d seen that day, and her hearts soared when he snorted. “Seriously?”
“Isn’t she the cutest?” Frye cooed, pressing its nose into Shiver’s cheek. “She’s pink, just like you are when I kiss you~”
Shiver grabs the plushy, scoffing. “That does not happen.”
Frye just smiles wider. “It does! See, I’ll prove it-”
“Frye.”
Shiver was holding the plushy between his face and Frye’s to block her as she leaned forward to prove her point. Frye had tried to kiss him again.
Again.
The lighthearted atmosphere was gone, replaced yet again by Shiver’s glare and heavy breathing. Frye’s brain seems to reset, and the steady feeling of hurt in her hearts becomes constant once more. Without a word, she turns away, fists clenched, knowing Shiver’s eyes are firmly planted on her back.
For a moment, all is still, before the inkling rummages through her bag again, tossing the box of red popsicles onto Shiver’s lap before sitting on the armrest of the sofa, just above the octoling.
Another pause. She looks at the floor. “…I hate this.”
And another pause. “I know.”
Pain flairs in Frye’s chest, looking down at her boyfriend. “You know? Shiver, you-”
Shiver interrupts her with a cough, before continuing. “Listen. I…” he forces the words out. “I wanted to say I’m sorry.”
He continues as Frye looks away again. “I’m not being fair to you. But please, understand… this… this is a really shameful and embarrassing time for octolings. Our instinct is to get as far away as possible to dispose of our venom.” he sighs. “And this is exactly what I was afraid of.”
“What is?”
He bites the tip of his finger. “Being coddled. Being… watched and monitored like a hawk, treated like I’m going to collapse at any moment.”
“Because you look like you will!” Frye cries, shifting so she’s sitting towards him. “Shiver, you’re so pale… your tentacles are nearly gray for cod’s sake!”
The octoling grabs his fringe to turn it over, wincing as he notices how desaturated he is. Flipping it back over, he meets Frye’s desperate eyes.
“I’m not coddling you because I think you’re weak. I’m coddling you because I care about you!”
Shiver seems to want to interject, but Frye hugs herself, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
“And I’m… I’m scared. I’m scared, and angry with myself. Because I can’t get near you, or hold you, or anything… and I don’t know what else I can do.”
It was always so easy to get her to cry. Sad documentary on the television? She cries, needing Big Man to wrap her in a heavy embrace. Shiver denies her a hug one singular time? She’s already whimpering. But these tears aren’t ones so easily coaxed out of her. She’s strong willed, she has to be for the sake of the other two.
Crying like this… was rare. And Shiver seems to recognize this, because a look of horror flashes on his features, before he looks down at his hands.
“…I understand.”
Frye is frustrated, tapping her own hands on her knees, fidgeting. “What do you want me to do?” she whispers.
“I think… I think you should leave me be.”
Whatever answer Frye was preparing herself for, that was not it. She’d expected him to ask for words, or maybe another plushy, something she could easily offer him. Anything to soothe the guilt and helplessness she felt.
But leaving him alone?
“What?”
He continues. “I can take care of myself. And me being here is only causing you pain. Just let me stay in my room until I’m better.”
“Shiv, no.” she can’t believe what she’s hearing, dropping down from the armrest onto her knees to loom over Shiver. “I’m not letting you do that.”
“I’m being serious.” he scoots away from her, propping his back against his own armrest and crossing his legs. “This is what I want.”
“But I…” a million thoughts and desperations fly through her mind, but words escape her. “Shiv, I’ll…”
It’ll only make me feel worse.
“Here,” Shiver says, grabbing the lightest of his grey shark plushies and holding it out to her, “you can hold onto Ice Cube for me. It’ll be like I’m there with you.”
She takes the stuffed creature, turning it around in her hands, sorrow flowing off her in waves. “It’s not the same, and you know it.”
“Frye, please.” Shiver pleads with her. “If you want to help me… just let me deal with this alone.”
Frye could not think of anything worse. But Shiver’s expression is full of resolve, and she has no choice but to accept that his comfort was priority number one, regardless of how she felt about it. She offers no answer, though, hoping it makes Shiver understand how much this decision was hurting her.
You think you’re helping me… but you’re not.
The tense atmosphere is broken by the sound of the front door opening, but Frye makes no effort to look over at Big Man as he stumbles through the door frame
“Ay. (I’m back. Everything okay?)”
Perhaps having sensed the mood, his greeting is subdued, eye immediately on Shiver, as if expecting something from him. To his immediate surprise, the octoling stands up, albeit shakily, offering a neutral smile.
“Yeah. I’m going to my room.”
This is the best course of action. This is the best decision you could’ve made.
Hours later, Shiver begins to have his doubts.
The bedside clock reads 11pm, though his room is still lit up by the usual brightness of the city outside.
Groaning, he shifts in his bed, intending to bury his face in one of his shark plushies before another round of coughing racks his already frail body. Three minutes and several tissues later, he’s lying on his back again, staring at the car lights moving across his ceiling. His trash can is piled high with soiled tissues and popsicle wrappers, the empty box somewhere on the floor of him unkempt room.
He’d been trying his hardest to fall sleep, anything to make time pass by quicker, but octoling biology dictated he stay fully awake to see through to the end of this nightmarish process. The spitting had been increasing in frequency, and he couldn’t stop shaking, teeth clenches as he feels another round coming.
It hadn’t been that long since he heard the telltale sounds of Frye and Big Man retiring for the night. Earlier than usual- they usually all winded down with a show or a movie, heading their separate ways by midnight at least. Perhaps a bad habit to sleep so late when their Splatcasts started so early the next day, but it was a ritual they couldn’t just let go of.
Closing his eyes, he prays for release in the form of fatigue finally winning over, but every wave of hacking brings him right back to square one, awake and alert.
He’s in pain. He’s exhausted.
He misses Frye so coddamn much.
Shiver had never felt more miserable in his life.
He misses her warm smile, her cute fangs, the way her ears would twitch at the slightest sound, or bounce up and down when she got excited-
Most of all, he misses her touch.
Shiver wasn’t necessarily averse to physical contact, but he did enjoy having his personal space. Frye, on the other hand, had absolutely no grasp of the concept of a bubble, constantly lifting him up and jumping on his back, always desperate for contact with her favourite person. Shiver didn’t hate it, he could never hate anything she did, but he did have to occasionally warn her it was sometimes too much, especially if he was already overwhelmed. To her credit, she respected his boundaries, even if it was clearly difficult for her to hold herself back.
Shiver would never, ever be bothered by her little touches, though: when she reached out her hand to hold his under the table, or fiddled with his back tentacles during his segments of Anarchy Splatcast, or casually leaning against his shoulder during particularly long meetings with the Splatoon. It was all just a reminder of her love for him, which Shiver was more than willing to indulge in if it made her so happy.
With all his harsh warnings, all that had ceased for the last twelve hours. She would eye him, eye his lips, down to his hands, clearly desperate for any kind of contact, knowing she couldn’t have it. Every time she forgot, leaning down to kiss him, or hold him, a part of him wanted to stay put and let her do what she pleased, the other part of him screaming that he could kill her if he wasn’t careful.
Shiver hated, no, loathed being venomous. He cursed his genetics, how venom ran particularly strong in his family, unbearably jealous of the lucky octolings who had evolved out of it alongside the inklings. As a young octopus, he’d initially thought it was cool, desperate for respect from his peers, desperate to be as intimidating and scary as the sharks his family tamed. But eventually, as most young octolings learned, he realized it was something to hide, to deal with as quickly as possible if they had any hope of making connections. His family had drilled it into his head- it made him dangerous, and not in the way he had once hoped.
Another shudder passes through him, and he braces himself, a particular intense round of coughing attacking his body. It leaves him gasping for air, thrashing about for a solid five minutes. Once it passes, he barely contains a sob.
He wanted Frye so badly.
Not her small touches, or tiny gestures of affection- he yearns for her tight embrace, the comfort of her hands as they travel down his back, the press of her lips against his. He wants her to overwhelm him with her presence, overwhelm him until he can never forget what it feels like to be engulfed in her warmth.
He feels his face heat up at the thought of her, arms around his waist, looking down at him from above, sharp fangs glinting-
Shiver lets out a shaky sigh.
Please, cod, let this be over with soon.
The rest of the day without Shiver had passed at an agonizingly slow pace. Big Man, observant of her sorrow, was subdued, walking on eggshells around her for fear she might break down at the slightest upset. They ate dinner in relative silence before Big Man settled at the table to work on compositions, Frye lounging on the sofa, head too foggy to do the yoga she usually did in the evenings.
After a while, they decided to retire early, forgoing their usual routine of watching something on the television together to wind down. It didn’t feel right without Shiver.
The entire time, she doesn’t let go of the shark plushy.
Frye had headed to bed listlessly, skincare routine only half completed, collapsing into her bed and going limp almost immediately. She didn’t remember falling asleep that night at all, too caught up in her emotions to process anything, really.
So when she hears a creak a few hours later she jolts awake, rubbing her eyes to clear them, squinting at the source of the sound. Her bedside clock reads 3am.
What she didn’t expect was to see her boyfriend standing in her doorway, staring right at her. Had she been slightly more conscious, she would’ve jumped, but her mind was still groggy from the sudden awakening.
“Shiv…?” A pause. “Wait, Shiver?”
Registering the fact that he was here, after being separated for half an entire day, she sits up, moving to turn on her bedroom lamp. The orange glow illuminates her partner’s form and his gloomy expression.
“Frye…” he whispers groggily, still standing there, not daring to step any further into the room.
The inkling feels herself begin to panic. “Shiver, is something wrong? Are you-”
“I’m fine.” he interrupts her. “It’s over. I got it all out.”
Frye’s eyes widen. She takes in his appearance: his tentacles have re-saturated to a cool blue, and he stands upright and steady. Hope flares in her chest. “Really?”
“Yeah. I’m all better now.” he replies, yet he still doesn’t smile.
“Oh, that’s… Shiver, that’s great.” Frye wants to jump up, to lift him up and spin him around, but his expression has her hesitant. He doesn’t seem happy. He twiddles his fingers, averting his gaze, before quietly speaking up.
“F…Frye…”
His voice is so tiny, so fragile, so unlike him that she can’t help but start feeling worried again.
Hesitantly, she responds. “Yeah?”
His expression cracks.
“C-could you please hold me?”
Frye just looks at him as he begins to tremble, eyes filling with tears.
He suddenly looked so small, so helpless, and she thinks back to how he was earlier. So sure he needed to get away. Unable to even look her way as he headed to his room, back slouched.
Everything about him had changed.
“Oh… oh Shiv…”
She beckons him forward and he collapses onto the bed and into her arms, coming to snuggle tightly into her chest, burying his face there as he chokes back tears.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” he repeats over and over, almost monotone.
Frye doesn’t even know what he’s sorry for, what he has to be sorry for, but she comforts him all the same. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
“I was reckless. I thought I was doing the right thing but-” he shakes, “Being all alone like that, without you- it was-”
Frye rubs his back in a circular motion. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
They stay like that for who knows how long, Shiver never letting himself fully cry as Frye waits for him to stop shuddering, not once stopping the comforting rub on his back. Every so often, he squeezes her tighter, and she responds by kissing the top of his head.
She relishes in this feeling, the feeling of finally having him in her arms again. It makes her feel selfish, but Shiver buries his face deeper into her embrace, and she wishes she could remember this feeling forever: Shiver, not exactly averse to physical contact but not always fully accepting of it, coming to her of his own volition.
Eventually, he begins to still, and Frye hums a sweet tune as he calms down, grip around her midsection relaxing, breathing regulating until it falls into a rhythm with hers.
“I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
Frye presses another kiss to his forehead. “There’s no shame in crying, Shiv.”
“No, not that.” he fiddles with the tip of her front tentacle. “Earlier. Sick like that.”
Frye can’t help but be confused at that. “What do you mean?”
“I…” he pauses. “Don’t you find it gross?”
“Gross?” Frye shoots him a bewildered look, but he doesn’t meet her eyes. “That’s just biology, Shiv. It’s not in your control.”
“It’s still so… so degrading.”
“It’s a part of life. An unfair one, but still.” she pushes his fringe aside to cup his cheek. “The only reason I was upset was because you were hurting.”
“But I was hurting you.” his voice hardens, fists clenching, still not looking at her. “I thought… I thought getting away from you would help. You just looked so… so miserable. I couldn’t stand the fact that I was causing it.”
“I’m your girlfriend, sharky. I’m going to be sad when you’re in pain, there’s nothing much I can do about that.” she says it almost like a joke. “But isolating yourself so I wouldn’t see you in pain doesn’t help me much. I’m still going to worry.”
“I know… I know.”
She cups his other cheek. “Listen. I want you to come to me when these things happen. Maybe I can’t touch you, maybe you’ll want to be left alone again, but I need you to just tell me.”
“…I just don’t want you to-.”
“What, worry?” Frye snorts. “I’m gonna be pretty worried if you just disappear without a word and isolate yourself for no reason, though. Much more worried, actually.”
“Frye…” he whines, finally meeting her gaze, and she kisses his nose. “I missed you.”
The inkling can’t help but giggle slightly at that, kissing his brow this time. “You dork. You coulda come see me at any time, ya know.”
“…I was embarrassed. I had so much resolve earlier…”
“Heh. Figures. That’s so like you, Shi-”
The quip on her tongue is swallowed by Shiver’s lips suddenly on her own. She stiffens, completely taken off guard, being returning the kiss softly.
Shiver pulls her closer, and Frye’s hearts soar as his hands travel down her back, pressing her deeper into the kiss. They separate for air, and even in the dim light of the room, Shiver’s eyes flash with need before pressing his lips to hers again, with considerably more force.
Frye is taken aback by the intensity of it all, but takes no issue with it, grasping onto Shiver’s shoulders. Opening her eye slightly, she sees the tip of his fringe go a warm pink, and she smiles into their kiss.
They continue like this for a while, stopping every so often to breathe, and every time they pull back Shiver’s eyes still gleam with want.
“Shiver…” Frye manages to whisper before his mouth is on hers again. She sighs contently into it, until she feels cold hands move from her back to her waist, and up, up, until they’re-
Frye yelps as they dive under her shirt, pulling back at the frigid touch, face on fire, meeting Shiver’s sultry gaze.
“Woah, Shiv, what’s gotten into you…?” she laughs in an effort to combat the warmth quickly spreading throughout her body, head spinning. It doesn’t help that Shiver’s hands don’t move away, and she herself makes no effort to move them as they rub the skin underneath her shirt.
Shiver leans forward to breathe into the crook of her neck, sending a jolt up her spine. “I said I missed you.”
Frye giggles airily as Shiver presses a kiss there. “In more ways than one, it seems.”
“Are you complaining?” she feels him smile.
“Nope. No complaining here.”
Content with that, Shiver resumes his work, kisses to her neck getting longer and more passionate. Frye doesn’t usually make much noise in times like these, but each press of their lips is like a static shock, giddy with desire after being apart for so long. She can’t help but whine, playing with Shiver’s back tentacle as it curls around her finger mirthfully.
She could never get enough of moments like these, when everything was still and quiet and they could just relish in each other’s comfort, but she’d never seen Shiver quite this eager before.
A sudden bite on her shoulder makes her hand tighten around the tentacle she’d been playing with in surprise, and Shiver yelps at the tug, looking up to meet the eyes of a frowning but furiously blushing Frye.
“Alright, that’s enough from you, mister.” she clicks disapprovingly, though her expression betrays the fact that she wasn’t entirely unopposed. She pushes his head away with a hand over his mouth as he smiles into it. “It’s three in the morning, and you’ve gotta be exhausted after the day you’ve had.”
Still grinning, he moves her hand away, and Frye’s hearts race at the sight of his glinting teeth. “Not really. I could keep going, you know. Since you so clearly want me to.” he looks her up and down.
It takes a lot of effort for Frye to stay insistent.
“Mmm, nope, nope, no sir. You’re gonna lie here and sleep for the next at least eight hours or I’ll hold you down myself.”
“Oh…?” Shiver’s eyes widen at that, before a mischievous smirk appears on his face. “What pleasant offer. Here I thought you wanted to stop what we were doing.”
“You-” realizing the implications of her words, she grabs a nearby pillow and lightly smacks him with it. “Oh, you giant dork! Come here.”
Shiver dives back into her embrace, purring in satisfaction as they resume their earlier position.
He seems to notice the shark plushy on Frye’s other side. “Did Ice Cube do well in keeping you company?”
“Yeah, it was nice to hold something. Not as nice as it is to hold you, though.”
Shiver tuts. “I should hope not.”
“What, are you getting jealous of the shark plushy?”
She phrases it like a joke, expecting Shiver to fire back with his own, but the octoling is completely quiet. Frye looks down only to see him frowning, blush across his face. She balks.
“Oh my cod, you are!”
“I am not.” he buries his head in her neck again, this time it’s to hide his expression, though Frye can still see his ears go red and snickers.
“Let’s take another day off tomorrow.” she decides.
“Really? But…”
“No buts. I’ve never seen you this clingy and I’m going to take full advantage of that.”
“Fine.” he relents, scooting upwards a bit to kiss her cheek. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not looking forward to that. You’re comfortable.”
“Awww, I am?” Frye bats her eyelashes innocently.
“Mhm. Like a warm blanket.” he says as he nuzzles closer, arms tightening around her waist.
The inkling giggles, scratching around their top sucker, “Think you can sleep well here tonight?”
Shiver sighs as she scratches, smiling in pure bliss, “I wouldn’t dream of moving now. Besides, you know I fall asleep better holding something.”
“And I fall asleep better with weight on me…”
“This arrangement is most profitable to the both of us, it seems.”
Frye nods, and the room goes quiet. Shiver’s body practically on top of hers sends a soothing feeling coursing through her, and she feels her eyelids start to droop. However, a thought resurfaces in her mind, and she acts on it before sleep can take her.
“You wanna… start sleeping in here? With me?” she whispers sheepishly.
Shiver is silent for a moment, until Frye looks down and sees him staring up at her with wide eyes. “…Can I?”
“Shiver, of course!” she bubbles, “I’ve been looking forward to the day you’d ask me that.”
Every night they separated to go to their rooms, Frye always carried wistfulness in her hearts. She respected his right to his personal space, always, but a part of her always wished she could hold him through the night, bask in his presence until she was overcome with sleep, and wake up to the sight of him next to her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Shiver prods her face with his nose.
“I guess I didn’t wanna spring it on you so fast.” she admits with a chuckle, “And I know how much your room is a comfort space for you.”
“I’ll still have that,” he assures her, “But I think this room is even more comfortable now. Because you’re here.”
Those words are spoken so genuinely she feels her hearts tighten, and Shiver buries his face in her neck again as she bites back a tear.
“…I love you.” her voice shakes, but the words could not be any more true, and while Shiver doesn’t respond, the kiss placed underneath her jaw tells her the sentiment is shared.