apparently half of the population has emetophobia bc i got like 6 requests for this.
in which colby gets a stomach bug + has emetophobia
colby woke up with a sharp pain in his stomach, jerking him awake from his sleep. he holds his abs as he tries to breathe through the discomfort.
he lays there silently. making sure not to wake you up until suddenly a wave of nausea washes over him. his heart raced. not from the discomfort, but from the fear that accompanied it.
he finally got the courage to wake you up, he rolls over and shakes you lightly but got harsher when you didn't stir
"y/n" colby whispers
"baby wake up" his voice shaky
"y/n!"
you stirred beside him, wondering what was happening because he never wakes you up in the middle of the night. it's usually the other way around
blinking sleepily, you looked up at him and saw the distress on his face, immediately sensing that something's wrong. now that you're wide awake, you sit up beside him
"what's wrong?" you ask, your voice soft
"i feel.. sick" he managed to get out. his breath coming in shallow gasps "i feel like i might.. i might....."
you know about his emetophobia and your heart just aches for him. he's always mr tough guy so seeing him struggle like this makes you so sad.
you reach your hand up and feel his hot forehead, confirming that he's sick.
" let's just take it slow okay?" you say, swiping some of his hair out of his face "deep breaths" you say soothingly
as you started to get out of bed to fetch him some medicine and water, colby whined "no don't leave me!"
"i would never colby, im just getting some water okay? i'll be right back i promise"
you come back with some water and ibuprofen and put a tiny trash can by his side of the bed just in case. you sit back down next to him and hand him the pills and water. "sip slowly" you instructed while rubbing his warm back in slow circles
your touch grounded him, he leaned into you with slow shaky breaths "i'm here baby." you say gently, kissing his temple
"i don't wanna th- throw up" colby whined
"just breathe colby. slow deep breaths" you say calmly
eventually his weight took over and you two collapse into the bed. right as you hit the mattress, colby rolls on top of you and buries his face in your neck
you wrap your arms around him and rub his back again. you kiss his head and just watch him for a sec and after a few minutes it seems like he's getting worse. looks like he's struggling to breathe because he's so shaky
"colby it's okay!" you say, trying to cheer him up "will it help if i take deep breaths with you?"
he looks up at you, his eyes red and glossy with tears, he nods weakly before dropping his head down again
you inhaled first, holding it till you feel colby's back rise, then exhaled slowly. colby follows your lead, his breaths still shaky, breaking your heart.
you do a few more breathers till you think he's steady enough. on the last smooth breath, colby inhales your scent, calming him down significantly, realizing that everything is gonna be okay
"good job baby. you're doing so good" you say, your voice barely over a whisper.
"i'm sorry" his voice cracks
"why? for what?!"
"for waking you up. this is so stupid"
"it's not stupid colby.i have my own fears and phobias too"
"like what?"
"the dark, spiders, hights,"
"those are cute tho. i'm just being a baby" colby sighs
"no colby you're not being a baby. it's not your fault. if anything, im the baby! only children are scared to sleep alone."
he giggles "thanks y/n i don't know what id do without you. you're my rock."
"of course. i'm always here for you in any way"
"i love you" he says quietly
"i love you too colby. more than anything"
you continue to hold him close. your warmth and the steady beat of your heart soothing him.
he let out a small relieved sigh, his body finally starting to unwind. you just stayed like that for awhile, just holding each other.
as time flew by, you talked to colby about random stuff. youtube, kansas, his favorite things, etc. anything to get his mind off his fear. you even managed to get a giggle out of him
by the time his breathing evened out and the first light of dawn crept through the blinds, colby's body felt heavier, meaning he finally fell asleep in you arms
you watch him for a moment, admiring how cute he looks sleepy, realizing he still has a fever because he was warmer. you carefully try to push him off of you but he only stirred, getting comfy on top of you again. "damnit." you whisper
you pressed one last kiss to his head, played with his hair, and fell asleep, hoping this bug would pass before he wakes up.
