december 5 - overly bundled up for the weather
1D Fanfic
Another platonic OT5 thing (that totally got away from me and it's got all sorts of whispers this time around). Either way, it is Niall-centric.
*
Niall burst into the building with a bang and a loud sneeze that was forced out of him so violently that he bent at the waist to recover from it. The snow swept in behind him on the wind and he reached to slam the door shut behind him before more of the cold could come in. With a sniffle and a pat of his boots on the mat, he finally looked up at the other occupants of the room.
He was getting three blank stares from three of his bandmates, and another from Lou who was watching him with wide eyes. Louis sauntered in through a door off to the side and was the only one not looking at him like he had two heads. "Oh look, Niall's here."
"Sorry I'm late," he croaked as he stepped away from the door. Instead of peeling off his layers of clothing, he stuck his mitten-clad hands into his pocket because he just couldn't seem to get warm. "I woke up so late this morning."
"You look like shit," Zayn informed him, eyeing him warily.
"You sound like shit too," Harry added, his brow crunched up with concern. "Are you ill?"
"I'm fine," Niall insisted as he crossed the room and joined the rest of the guys on the couches that had been set up backstage of the show they were meant to be appearing on (he'd lost track at this point - so much promo). He sagged back onto one of the plush couches, sighing and letting his eyes drift shut as he tilted his head to rest on the back.
Truth be told, he was exhausted and everything on his entire body was hurting right now. His throat was winning the prize for biggest pain in the arse, followed by his head, his sinuses, and then finally his chest. He'd been sneezing since he woke up and he'd also coughed up some stuff that did not have a good colour to it which he immediately tossed into the bin. He wanted to be in his bed still, curled up under his warm blankets but this appearance had been booked ages ago and there were crowds of fans waiting for them. He couldn't let them, or the rest of the band, down.
The brim of his hat was pulled up and then a cool hand was curving over his forehead. He shivered at the feeling, groaning as he tried to shift his head away. Another hand grabbed his chin roughly, holding his head in place as the hand on his forehead was flipped to the other side and then back to palm-down.
"You're burning, Niall," Harry's voice muttered. Niall forced his eyes open when Harry tapped his cheek twice gently. He harrumphed when he saw his mate's green eyes full of concern, his tongue poking out between his lips in consideration.
"I'm fine," he repeated, pouting. He craned his head away when Liam tried to do the same thing, squeezing past Harry and reaching his grabby hands out for his face. "Get away."
"Well, you can't do the interview, that's for sure," Louis said with absolute certainty, as if he was speaking Niall's words for him. Which he wasn't because Niall was not missing this interview.
"I can do it."
"We're in Sweden Niall," Louis said with a shake of his head, "they can barely understand your Irish accent as it is. It'll be hopeless if all your words are an octave lower and you can't get through a sentence without coughing on it."
Niall crossed his arms over his chest, giving Louis a fierce look that he hoped was threatening. Apparently, it wasn't because Louis didn't seem phased at all. "I talk just fine. My accent is endearing and people love it."
Louis rolled his eyes hard and then got up from where he had been perched on the couch's arm. "I'm going to find a producer or something and tell them you're ill. Maybe they can turn the sound off on your mic or something."
"Louis, don't -" Niall cut off with a harsh cough, bending over himself and couching into his fist. He had to gasp to catch his breath once the tickle in his lungs was gone and he placed a hand to his sternum, felt his heart racing beneath. He was so sick.
"I'll go with him," Zayn said as he got to his feet as well. "Make sure he doesn't piss anyone off."
"Listen, I'm fine," Niall said insistently once Zayn had followed Louis, craning his head between Harry and Liam who were both wearing varying expressions of concern. "My voice might be a little rough but I can still do the interview."
"Let's get you out of this coat," Harry said, completely ignoring Niall as he got into his personal space and began yanking at the scarf around Niall's neck to pull it off.
"Stop it, you don't have to - stop it, Harry!"
"You're going to overheat," Harry informed him sternly as he yanked the end of the scarf out of Niall's clumsy fingers and began to unwind it from around his neck. He got it almost all the way off and then stopped, staring at Niall's neck. "Are you wearing another scarf under this?"
"Two," Niall admitted bashfully, holding his hands to his neck protectively so Harry wouldn't attack the other scarves. He needed them. It was too cold everywhere, every inch of his skin feeling like it was pressed to ice if any of it was exposed. It was hard enough having his nose uncovered - he couldn't bare taking off his scarves or his mittens.
"Niall," Liam said with a sigh as he sat down next to his mate, dropping his arm around Niall's shoulders. Instinctively, Niall moved in toward him, relishing in Liam's body heat as he let his temple drop to Liam's shoulder. He wanted to close his eyes but he knew if he did that he would fall asleep and he couldn't afford to do that. "Lou's gone to get you some tea for your throat, okay? Can you manage that?" Niall nodded against Liam's shoulder.
"You should've stayed home," Harry scolded gently as he sat down on the table in front of the couch, his knees knocking against Niall's. He leaned over, elbows on his thighs, and scrutinized Niall.
"Yeah, home," Niall said with a derisive bark of laughter, "because home is definitely a cold, minimalist hotel room, all by myself, with only two English channels on the telly, neither of which play football matches."
Harry's cheek quirked up at the side, like he couldn't quite keep the smile off his face even if Niall was quite ill, because Niall was being indignant and pouty and possessive of his football. His eyes were sad and sympathetic, though, because Niall had voiced the same feeling that all of them had. Travelling the world was amazing and life-changing and none of them would have traded it for anything. There were times, though, when they wanted home so badly it hurt and it was so hard coming back to a hotel room that felt like it belonged to someone else.
"D'you just want to stay back here while we do the interview and then one of us can go back to the hotel with you, make sure you're all settled in and you've had some medicine?" Liam asked. Niall shook his head, burrowing his forehead against the warm fabric of Liam's jumper.
Harry was frowning in Liam's direction and then he turned it back to Niall. "You're not doing this interview."
"Yes I am," Niall said back firmly, mirroring the tone Harry had just used on him. "And you can't tell me what to do."
Harry pressed his lips together tightly and Niall could tell by the way that his fingers began to tap an uncontrollable rhythm on his thigh that he was holding in about a thousand uncomplimentary things that he wanted to say. Restless, Harry got to his feet and brushed past them, heading straight for the rack of clothes standing off to the side of the dressing tables, Niall's name taped onto the end. "If you insist on staying, we'll find you something to wear then. You can't wear your coat on stage."
"I want my coat," Niall mumbled grumpily, hugging his arms around his middle. It was a plushy coat, puffy and warm, and it felt like a big duvet wrapped around his body. Even the thought of taking it off was making him feel sick, chills rolling down his spine. He shivered hard and Liam tightened his hold to compensate.
Harry tossed three successive pieces of clothing over his shoulder and onto the couch, two of them landing in Liam's lap. Then he was back, bustling around Niall and forcefully pulling off all of Niall's winter accessories. Niall tried for a moment to stop him but his arms felt all lethargic and he couldn't be arsed to fight Harry off. His hat came off and then his three scarves, his mittens. "Stand up," Harry instructed before taking Niall's hands in his own to pull him up.
Liam had to shove a hand against the small of Niall's back to get him fully upright. Him and Harry were so close together it was sort of hard to move but it worked out because Niall was able to lean against the taller boy for the majority of the time that Harry was forcing him out of his coat, shoving the sleeves down his shoulders. Harry forced his jumper over his head, leaving Niall in a thin undershirt. Immediately he started shivering and Harry noticed, making a displeased sound in the back of his throat. "You shouldn't be overdressed like this," Harry said as he pulled the turtleneck he had taken off the racks (probably Zayn's rack because Niall had never worn a turtleneck before in his life) over Niall's head.
"It'll help break the fever," Liam said from where he was observing, still perched on the couch. He placed his hand gently against the back of Niall's thigh, which was shoulder height for him, and the gesture felt supportive and comforting. At least someone was on his side.
"I'm on your side, Niall," Harry said sternly and Niall realized he said his last thought aloud. "I'm just worried. You always do this. You always work when you're feeling poorly and you get even worse."
Niall's face fell, his whole body sinking forward as his already red cheeks burned brighter. The last thing he ever wanted to do was let these guys down. They were his best mates. They were his family. He thought that working when he was ill was helpful because it kept everyone together, kept things moving and fluid. He didn't realize he was being a burden or dragging the group down.
"I'm sorry," he croaked, staring fixedly at the swallows peeking out of the shirt Harry was wearing, gaping open. It meant he didn't have to see the disappointment on Harry's face. "I didn't mean to mess up."
Harry's arms wrapped tight around Niall quite suddenly, engulfing him. Niall pressed his forehead against Harry's cool neck and gulped down around the discomfort in his throat. "Don't be sorry," Harry said firmly as he rubbed Niall's back through the turtleneck, vigorously enough that it produced some of the heat that Niall's body was desiring. "You didn't mess up. I didn't mean for you to think that. I just worry."
Niall sighed heavily because he was blowing things out of proportion. Harry wasn't mad at him. He hadn't messed up. He just needed to keep it together. "Can I have another jumper please?" Niall muttered hopefully.
"Of course," Harry said, letting Niall go so he could reach for one of the jumpers he had tossed onto Liam's lap, a grey number with a beige pattern on it that only Harry would be brave enough to wear. He didn't waste a second shoving Niall's head through the collar and grabbing his wrists so he could guide them through the sleeves. "Is that better? Do you feel better? Let me see where Lou is with that tea."
He scurried off before Niall could say a word and Niall immediately fell back onto the couch with a sigh. When he looked over at Liam, the other boy was smiling knowingly at him. "What?" Niall asked."
"Nothing," Liam said with an amused shake of his head. "I'm always astounded by your ability to make Harry go from annoyed with you to how else can I show my undying appreciation in less than three seconds."
"It's a gift." Niall shrugged, chuckling, which quickly turned into a wet cough from his lungs. He rubbed his hand in circles over his chest, frowning. "This is awful."
"Tea!" Harry waltzed back into the room, holding the mug in one hand with the other hovering below to steady it as he walked briskly across the room. Lou followed behind with a sigh, which probably meant that Harry had accosted her and stolen the tea away while she had been trying to bring it back. "It's peppermint with a bit of honey." Niall scrunched his face up because he didn't like peppermint tea. "I know you don't like peppermint tea," Harry said as he rounded the couch and Liam snickered at the repetition between them, "but it'll do you good."
Niall accepted the tea from Harry. He took a cautious sip. He stuck his tongue out because he hated the taste but he had to admit that it did make his throat feel a little better. Harry stood off to the side, fingers pulling at his bottom lip, as he studied Niall as if he was waiting for him to drop dead. "Don't look at me like that," Niall snapped at him between sips of peppermint, "I'm fine."
Harry scoffed, waving his hand haphazardly through the air before tugging at his lip again. Niall knew it was a hopeless cause trying to get Harry to settle down now.
"How're you feeling?" Lou asked gently as she came around the couch edge, toting her makeup case with her. She was wearing her 'mom' look which was actually a little comforting, because at least someone was here to care for him and worry about him if his mum couldn't be doing it herself.
"I'm okay," Niall said insistently, ruining the whole thing by sniffling. "I will be okay," he corrected when he saw the look on Lou's face.
"Let's just try and make you look like less of a ghost, yeah?" Lou said as she cracked her case open, sorting through the contents. "Make you look pretty for all your fans."
Niall let her put some stuff on his face that gave him some colour and helped with the purple shadows under his eyes. Lou ran her fingers through his messy hair with some product to give it some life. By the end, he almost looked like himself. Almost.
It didn't help that the only clothes he was wearing that belonged to him were his trousers.
Louis and Zayn clambered back into the room, arguing with someone from the production team. Despite Louis' insistence, they would not be turning off Niall's mic. Zayn somehow convinced them not to direct questions at Niall during the interview itself and that was the best they were getting.
They were all gathered and prepped and everything was moving so quickly around Niall that he could barely keep his head straight. The only reason he'd made it through was because he'd done it a hundred times before and it was muscle memory at this point. Sometime before they went on, he'd managed to convince Louis to give him his hat which Niall shoved over his ears that felt cold but were probably red hot. As they were being escorted out, Liam snuck Niall one of his jackets, a structured wool number. Niall shrugged into it quickly, pulling the front together to keep him as warm as possible. He caught a glance of himself in the mirror and was surprised with his reflection. He looked like a male model. He looked like someone else.
"Don't say anything if you don't want to," Harry muttered into his ear as they waited on the wings of the soundstage to be introduced. His hand came up to rest on the small of Niall's back in what felt almost like a protective gesture. Harry kept narrowing his eyes at anyone who even looked at Niall for too long, like a protective mother bear. "If you need to cough, try and face away from the camera because no one looks very good when they're coughing. I have tissues in my pocket if you need them -"
"Harry," Niall cut him off, "it's fine. I'll be okay."
Harry didn't look like he believed him but it was too late to say anything now because they were being introduced and fans were screaming and someone from production was shooing them onto the stage. Niall walked in the middle of the four boys, letting them get all the attention while he just focused on making it across the stage to the couch. He'd been stuck on the end for interviews recently but Zayn manhandled him into the middle so that there were two bodies on either side of him. The arrangement - Liam, Harry, Niall, Zayn, Louis - meant that their two loudest members were on either end to draw attention from the middle.
It went alright. The interviewer had ignored their request and had asked Niall a couple of questions. Louis interjected before he could be forced to answer, or else Harry would completely change the subject in that slow, steady way of his where you'd forgotten the question by the time he was finished his thought. Niall for the most part had attempted to keep engaged, nodding or saying a quiet 'yeah' or 'no' when appropriate so he didn't seem suspiciously disengaged. He coughed a couple of times but he waited until the camera was focused on the interviewer talking before he did. At one point he started to sneeze and Harry snuck him the pocket tissue, slipping it subtly into Niall's hand.
"You seem a bit overdressed, Niall," the interviewer commented near the end of the session, when Niall had thought he'd gotten through this. His eyes widened a bit as he glanced over at the interviewer who was looking quite obviously at all the clothes he was wearing that weren't his. "And you've got a new style today."
Because his throat was feeling really scratchy and he knew that talking would mean coughing, he shrugged, attempting to seem cool and aloof. The fans began to cheer so he figured it had worked.
"Niall's trying out something new," Liam jumped in with a laugh, "trying to replace Harry as the band member with the most runway style."
"Hey," Harry frowned.
The rapport took off again and there were other questions but Niall had done his part and that was all that mattered. He felt Zayn pat his thigh supportively about a minute after the question had come and past. Harry stretched his arm out across the back of the couch, his fingers pressing into the back of Niall's shoulder. Liam kept shooting Niall gentle smiles and Louis reached over at one point to ruffle his hair playfully.
They were a team. They had each other's backs. And right now, while he was ill and needy and clingy and self-deprecating, that's all he needed to know.