Work Text:
Radley lay in bed with a plastic bowl sitting on his bedside table, his body shivering and his stomach feeling sour and bloated. He had just gotten back from the oil rig, and he'd been feeling dizzy and uncomfortable the entire day. He chalked it up to drowsiness at first, but no matter how much coffee he drank he slowly began to feel worse and worse, culminating in him emptying his stomach into the toilet.
Fortunately, he had just under 2 weeks until he had to go back to work, but he still felt awful. He texted Frisky to let her know about his current situation. She responded with concern and asked if he needed anything, to which he said he would be fine, and he just needed rest.
He rolled over onto his side and closed his eyes, picturing her standing in front of him, a bright smile on her face and her arms reaching out to him, ready to take him into her embrace.
He was so happy to have her in his life. Her soft, flowing hair and tan fur made her look like the rays of the sun personified. She was soft and smooth to the touch and the sensation of her velvety lips on his were to die for. Her personality was a unique blend of sweet and fiery. She would do anything for her loved ones, from fighting the world to holding them close. Every moment spent with her was an unforgettable adventure, it was a shame he couldn’t spend more time with her.
He cringed into himself as his mental image of Frisky began to float away from him, and he was suddenly aware of how cold and lonely he felt right now.
He wanted to be with her more often, longed for their interactions to extend beyond text messages, phone calls, and the occasional date or Faceytalk calls, but his job meant those were all the things he could do with her. Even if one of them were to move in with the other, he would still be absent every 2 weeks for his job. He wanted to give her all the love she deserved, but he had so much to do. He was afraid he couldn’t hold up his end of the relationship.
By now his mental image of her had completely faded from view. He was alone in the dark, the blankets his only source of comfort.
How could he be a supportive boyfriend if he was constantly working? What if she had an emergency while he was on the Rig? He remembered her talking about all her past boyfriends, how they would all inevitably lose interest in her or cheat on her or leave her for someone else. He would never dream of cheating on her and so long as she wanted him, he would never lose interest in her, but if he couldn’t give her the time she deserved, was he really any better than they were?
His drowsy, anxiety riddled mind conjured an image of Frisky sitting down with Bluey and Bingo in the same spot they played 20 questions after they first met. She looked just as sad as she did after telling them she broke up with Bosco.
“Why aren’t you with uncle Rad anymore?” the imaginary Bingo asked her.
“I really did love him, but sometimes, things just aren’t meant to be.”
He gritted his teeth and tried to hold back tears as he heard the imaginary Frisky say that.
He didn’t want to lose her, didn’t want to hurt her, didn’t want to be an unfortunate footnote in her life. But how could he prevent that if he couldn’t even give her time to get to know him. He couldn’t keep up with her, and in her eyes, he’ll be just another boyfriend in her tragic romantic life.
He was about to drift off to sleep when he heard the door open. He sat up in the bed and reeled back as a wave of dizziness and nausea hit him.
“Who’s there!?” He weakly shouted.
“Oh, sorry Rad! Didn’t mean to scare you!”
His eyes widened and his heart began thumping in his chest, it was Frisky! He saw her walk into his bedroom, a concerned and sympathetic look on her face as she saw how worn out he looked.
“I’m so sorry, did I wake you?” She asked.
“Nah, it’s fine. I just didn’t expect to see you. Don’t you have work today?”
“I did, but I called in one of my vacation days so I could come and see you while you’re dealing with… whatever this is.”
He suddenly felt a wave of guilt overwhelm him. She had taken a day off work just to see him! She cared enough about him to drop what she was doing and drive 2 hours just to be by his side! How could he match that? How could he repay her for the time she was wasting on him? He laid back down and placed his paws over his eyes.
“I’m so sorry Frisky.”
“Sorry about what? Getting sick? Unless you somehow did this intentionally, you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I feel like a bad boyfriend Frisk. I haven’t been giving you the time you deserve and… I don’t know how to fix that. Its making me feel awful.”
“So, you think you aren’t spending enough time with me.”
“Y…yeah”
He let out a long, pained sigh and buried his face in his pillow. He sat there and groaned for a couple seconds until he felt Frisky’s paw patting his back.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better. I think you do a good job of spending time with me. You’re very good at responding to my texts and you’ve never missed one of our weekly Faceytalks. Sure, I can’t see you every day, but I love and appreciate my time spent with you moreso than all my previous boyfriends combined.”
His heart leapt out of his chest as he felt her dip down and kiss the back of his neck.
He pulled his face out of the pillow and saw her looking down at him, a vibrant and compassionate smile on her face. He opened his mouth to say something when he suddenly felt a great discomfort in his stomach and a wave of nausea overtook him.
“Rad, is something wrong?” She asked him, her vibrant smile changing to a look of concern.
He began to swallow and take deep breaths, hopelessly trying to keep the contents of his stomach inside of him. He knew it was only a matter of time before it all came out.
“Bowl! Bowl! Bowl!” He said as he pointed to the plastic bowl on the side of the table.
“Oh!”
She grabbed the bowl and placed it on the bed beside him, just in time.
After helping him through his upchuck and washing out the bowl, she climbed onto the bed beside him and wrapped her arm around him. He shifted himself into her embrace and began to drift off to sleep.
“I love you Frisk.”
“Love you too Rad.”
He still didn’t know how he was going to hold up his end of the relationship. He still had so much to learn and many more challenges to face. But he knew she loved him, and he was going to do everything he could to make her feel complete, just like she made him feel complete.