Sick and Sad {Bring Me the Horizon, The Academy Is...}
“William?” Oli walked into the bathroom, yawning as he pulled up his boxers. He checked the small clock on the wall and sighed as he realized it was 3:17 in the morning. “Are you alright?” He looked down to where William Beckett, his boyfriend, sat on the floor, hunched over the toilet.
“I don’t know,” William said softly, his voice both weak and tired. “I feel like I’m going to throw up…”
“Oh, oh honey…” Oli fell to his knees beside William, instantly rubbing the young man’s back. “Is there anything that I can do?”
“No.” William shook his head. “Go back to bed…please, you have work in the morning, I don’t want to keep you up.”
“No.” Oli moved to sit in a more comfortable position, crossing his legs, his hand staying where it was on William’s back. “I don’t want to leave you. I wouldn’t be able to sleep anyways, knowing that you’re sick like this.”
“It’s probably just food poisoning…”
“Even so.” Oli cut William off, pressing a soft kiss to the young man’s bare shoulder. “I love you, and I don’t want to see you hurting like this.”
“You’re so good to me…” William sighed, resting his weak body on the toilet. “I love - hold on.” William leaned forwards over the toilet, emptying his stomach into the bowl, tears stinging at his eyes as Oli rubbed his back. He wretched and coughed, shaking from the force of the nausea and illness, but Oli didn’t flinch, he just stayed there, rubbing William’s back until he stopped.
“Here.” Oli stood up, handing William several paper towels and a toothbrush. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful,” William groaned, wiping his mouth before beginning to brush his teeth. “I’m so sorry. You weren’t supposed to see that…”
“Hey, William, I don’t care. What I care about is that you’re not feeling well and I just want you to be happy…right now, you’re not really happy.”
“I’ll be fine,” William said softly. “I just…I didn’t want you to see that.”
“William, I don’t think of you any less, okay?” He sighed. “I still love you. I still think you’re beautiful; I still think you’re everything that I want.”
“God…” William sighed again, biting on his lip. “You’re so good to me…I just…I wish things could be like this forever.”
“What makes you think it won’t be?” Oli asked, taken aback by the question.
“It never could be…Oli, it’s just…” he sighed. “We’re in the honeymoon phase right now, we’ve just moved in together, we’re so in love, we don’t see how things really are yet. It’s all going to fade away.”
“William,” Oli stated. “Look at where we are. We are sitting in the bathroom floor, you just threw up right in front of me and I’m still right here, falling more in love with you every second. If this is real, then nothing else is.”
“What do you mean?” William asked.
“We’re past the honeymoon phase, William.” He smiled, leaning in and kissing the boy.
“Stop,” William stated. “I just threw up…”
“You brushed your teeth,” Oli said.
“I know, but-”
“This is real, William,” Oli said. “We’re not in the glory days anymore.”
“Oh.” William looked down at the floor, slightly dejected.
“William, that’s not a bad thing.” Oli smiled, putting his hand on William’s cheek. “We’re in a better place now. I’m past thinking that you’re perfect, I’m seeing you as flawed…just beautifully so, and that’s what real love is, isn’t it? Not seeing past someone’s flaws, but accepting every single one of them and loving them right along with everything else.”
“Wow.” William closed his eyes, letting his cheek rest in Oli’s palm. “When I met you, I knew you were sexy, but I was sure you’d be such an asshole.”
“The tattoos can be misleading,” Oli said softly.
“I know.” William smiled softly. “I couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
“Nor I.” Oli paused, looking at William’s closed eyes. “You look tired.”
“I’m exhausted.”
“Let’s go to bed.”
“I can’t.” William shook his head. “I think I’m gonna sleep in here tonight, you know, just in case…”
“Okay.” Oli nodded, lying down on the tile floor, gently pulling William down next to him.
“Oh…no, you don’t have to stay in here!”
“Shh,” he whispered. “It’s okay. I want to.” He draped his arm over William’s stomach so that he would wake up the second William sat up.
“I love you,” William said softly, yawning as he did so.
“I love you too.” Oli kissed William’s back shoulder blade before closing his eyes, falling asleep on the bathroom floor, holding William in his arms.