"I'll be fine, don't worry." Zach says, trying to be confident although his nose is running a river and his head is pounding. A voice at the door makes both boys jump, and Zach quickly scrambles out of Jonah's lap.
"What do you mean, 'you'll be fine'? What's wrong?" Jack asks from the doorway, a large frown etched onto his face. He stands there next to a sheepish Daniel and a curious Corbyn.
"Nothing! I-I'm fine." Zach's voice is hoarse and his eyes desperate. Everybody exchanges a knowing look.
"Okay Zach, if you say so." Jack says softly, pulling Zach into a comforting hug. All the boys laugh when Jonah shoots up merely three seconds later, claiming that 'that was enough', his face flushed.
"Cmon you lot, let's go, before we're late." Jonah rounds the giggling bunch up, his face still warm.
They quickly pile out of the tour bus, being hit by the cold air. Zach shivers wildly, having gotten used to the tour bus heating and not enjoying the natural temperature at all. They make their way into the tall building, greeting Tyler, who was waiting just inside.
"Okay boys, first interview isn't live, it's just down the hall. And take it seriously, please." He begs, quickly sending them back off down the corridor. Zach sighs and cuddles more into his hoodie, feeling cold and hot at the same time. He cringes when his stomach grumbles angrily, and he's thankful when he can finally sit down.
A young, brown haired woman goes around shaking all their hands and introducing herself, but Zach doesn't even catch her name. He notices Jonah watching him from the other side of the sofa and he blushes, pulling his knees up to his chest.
"Okay were gonna start rolling in 3, 2, 1... hello everyone, I'm here today with Why Don't We!" Everyone cheers, and Zach tries to put on at least a presentable smile. He's more worried about the stabbing pains in his stomach and how the world keeps dancing in and out of focus. He breathes in shakily, not sure how much longer he can stay like this. He curses himself for not having taken any medicine before coming here.
"So Zach, do these boys treat you like their little brother?" Zach head snaps up when he hears his name called, his eyes wide. He swallows hard and clears his throat.
"Y-Yeah, they do, and they're like big brothers to me." Zach says hoarsely, giving a pain-ridden half-smile. Everyone gives Zach worried and confused glances, and the interviewer quickly moves on.
Some time later, Zach feels someone lightly elbow him, and he jumps, instinctively going to wrap his arms around his stomach to ease the pain.
"What?" Zach snaps quietly to Corbyn, who was sitting next to him. Corbyn looks at him, taken aback, and points towards the interviewer with a frown.
"Um she asked you a question." Corbyn says quietly, clearly a little annoyed. Zach immediate feels bad, and he turns to the interviewer, ignoring the slight burning in his eyes as he tries to hold back the tears.
"Oh, sorry, what was that?" Zach says, his voice cracking. The interviewer looks at someone behind the camera, unsure if she should continue.
"I-I was just wondering if you could describe what you consider your style to be?" She says sheepishly. Zach breathes in shakily.
"I-I..." Zach tries to clear his throat, his breathing increasing. Everyone has realised something is happening, and finally Jonah can't hold back.
"Okay, can we stop, please?" He quickly says, shooting up. The cameras stop rolling and Jonah strides over to Zach, placing his hands on his knees and kneeling down in front of him. Zach's eyes are cast downwards, hot tears trailing down his cheeks.
"Zach, c'mon I'm taking you back to the bus, you need to rest." Jonah says softly, his hand softly caressing Zach's cheek and wiping his tears with his thumb. Zach quickly nods, knowing he wouldn't be able to last much longer. Jonah helps him stand, towering over him and blocking him from all the peering eyes. He wraps an arm around him and helps him walk out of the room, making sure he doesn't trip or wobble. They walk quickly, until Zach stops him, whimpering softly.
"J-Jo, stop... I-I feel like I'm gonna throw up." Zach sobs, covering his mouth and giving Jonah a terror filled look. Jonah's heart wrenches, and he quickly looks around, not spotting a bathroom or even a bin anywhere. He ends up just putting Zach against the wall so he has something to lean on, trying to make him look into his eyes.
"Shh, it's okay love, you're gonna be fine. Deep breaths." Jonah whispers, holding Zach's face softly. Zach listens to him, letting out gasping breaths, his knees feeling shaky. After a while, the nausea finally passes, and Zach rests his forehead against Jonah's firm shoulder.
"You good now, babe?" Jonah asks softly. Zach blames the flutter in his stomach to this horrible sickness, not the pet name. Zach hums slightly, his eyes closing to shut out the light.
"I'm gonna need you to carry me the rest of the way." Zach giggles slightly, his head still against Jonah's shoulder. Jonah smiles and quickly agrees. He helps Zach onto his back, praying that the younger boy can't feel his thumping heart.
Soon enough, they make it back to the bus, Zach still holding on tightly to Jonah and having his head burrowed into his neck. Jonah grunts as he steps up into the bus, closing the door behind him. He walks over to the sofa, his hands still gripping Zach's thighs to keep him stable.
"Zach, love, lets lie you don't onto the sofa, how does that sound?" Jonah hums, and Zach agrees. He climbs down, stumbling slightly when his feet touch the floor. He crawls onto the sofa quickly, curling into himself and making a little ball. Jonah grabs him a blanket and pulls it over him, placing a soft, hesitant kiss on his very warm forehead. As he goes to walk away, Zach's hand shoots out and grabs Jonah's wrist. Jonah looks back down at the half asleep boy, blushing slightly.
"Lie with me." Zach barely lets out. Jonah quickly complies, and scoots in next to him, cuddling up under the blanket. His breath gets caught in his throat when Zach lays his head on his chest.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Jo." Zach mumbles in a soft voice. Jonah internally awes.
"Of course bud, that's what...friends do." He forces out. There's a slight awkward silence, and Jonah sighs softly.
"Yeah. Well thanks for being such a good friend." Zach ends up saying, before finally allowing himself to drift off into a peaceful slumber. Jonah decides to drift off as well eventually, knowing he wasn't going to be able to slip away with Zach resting on top of him.
The rest of the boys finally arrive back at the bus an hour later, after talking to their managers for a while and sorting things out. They all freeze and almost squeal at the sight of the two boys cuddling, their Zonah hearts exploding. Daniel quickly snaps a picture, before Corbyn softly nudges Jonah. Jonah's eyes flutter open, and he looks around, confused, before blushing in realisation.
"Hey Jo, hows he doing?" Corbyn asks, referring to Zach. Jonah looks down at the younger boy, who is cocooned into his chest.
"I think he's okay now. Just needs some rest." Jonah answers, his eyes not leaving Zach's sleepy face.
"Dude, you're so whipped!" Jack howls quietly, making Jonah blush furiously and glare at the younger boy.
"Shut up!" He hisses, the boys finally leaving the room. He's looks back down at Zach, a smile forming on his face.
"He's so damn right though."
word count: 1962
so what do you think? ksks
Zach / Zonah - Flu
Start from the beginning
