Liam's POV:
A slow smile spread across my face as the plane lifted off into the sky. I had always loved being in the air, above the clouds.
It was early in the morning, just past four AM, and after a bit of a wait at the airport we had boarded our fifteen hour nonstop flight to America from Australia. We'd all been up for a couple of hours though but we might as well have all been sleep walking. There had been little to no conversation, it was just too early.
Being in the air had perked me up and just as the silence was beginning to become unbearable Harry nudged me from my right, knocking his shoulder with mine.
"I don't feel very well," he murmured as he laid his head down on my shoulder.
I frowned. He hadn't really gotten airsick before, apart from that one time where he'd inhaled an entire buffet before getting on the plane. We'd only been on this plane for twenty minutes or so. There hadn't been any turbulence at all, it was as smooth as sitting in a movie theater.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"My stomach hurts."
"If you're gonna throw up please go sit in the bathroom so I don't have to watch," Louis moaned, obviously already feeling the effects. He always got sick when we were flying, there was no way around it. Even when the ride was completely smooth. We'd tried everything, pills, not eating, the works, but every single time he still managed to get awfully ill.
"Lou, do you have any of your air sickness pills on you?" I asked, knowing that even though they did nothing he liked to think that maybe they would would, just once.
"Yeah. . ." Louis dug a box out of his pocket and gave it to Harry who immediately popped a couple out and swallowed them dry, letting out a dry cough to force them down when they caught in his throat.
Niall rolled over with a loud snore suddenly and rested his head on my other shoulder. I sighed. Of course he'd gone back to sleep, leaving me with these two. Typical.
An hour later Niall was still asleep, his legs now splayed over mine and Harry's laps and his face squished into the side of his seat. It didn't look like the most comfortable position and I couldn't help but wonder how he was even managing to breathe but he still wasn't waking up. Louis was slowly getting more and more pale and I knew it wouldn't be much longer until he'd be needing a sick bag. Harry was groaning and tossing himself around next to me looking pale as well.
A flight attendant in a red dress appeared in the isle, "can I get you boys anything?"
I smiled, "do you have any ginger ale by any chance?"
"I'm sure we do, anything else?"
"No thanks, just a couple of those if that's possible," I replied.
"I'm hungry!" Niall whined, shooting back into his own seat and kicking Harry and I in the process. Harry made a noise that sounded like a cross between a horse giving birth and Niall's snoring and clutched onto his middle.
"Can I have some chips please?" Niall asked sweetly, as if he hadn't just assaulted Harry and I.
"Sure, which flavour?"
Niall looked at her sheepishly, "uh, all of them?"
The flight attendant laughed and nodded as she sobered up and realised that Niall was not joking, "alright, I'll be right back."
"Finally awake huh?" I said to Niall. He just shrugged.
"I need my beauty sleep."
"You said it," Louis joined in, his voice low.
"Ready to puke up breakfast yet, Lou?" Niall teased.
"Shut up," Louis grunted in reply, stiffly leaning back into his seat.
A low moan escaped from Harry as he curled his knee's into his chest.
"What's up with Harry?" Niall whispered to me loudly, causing Harry to open one eye and glare somehow.
"Sick," I replied.
Niall frowned, "really? It's not even a rough flight."
"As if you would know, you've been asleep the whole time."
The flight attendant came back then, holding a tray.
"Alright, I've got two cans of ginger ale and. . ." she held up four bags of of chips, "these."
"Thank you!" Niall exclaimed as she biffed the chips his way.
I took the ginger ales from her with a 'thank you'.
"My pleasure, just press that button if you need anything else."
She smiled and walked away, swaying slightly as the plane tilted a little.
"Do either of you want one of these?" I asked Harry and Louis, gesturing to the cans.
Louis swiped one from me and popped it open, "it's worth a shot, I guess"
"Harry?"
"Do I have to?"
His voice sounded strained and I felt myself starting to get a bit worried. He'd grown even paler now, and I could see that his hands had begun to shake
"Alright, we'll give it a bit." I nodded and put the can in the cup holder. "How are you holding up?"
"I don't know. My stomach hurts and my head is pounding," he groaned, blinking slowly.
"Do you feel like you're going to throw up?" I asked just as Louis shot to his feet and pushed past everyone before making a mad dash to the restroom, one hand slapped across his mouth.
Harry watched him with wide eyes as he shook his head. "No," he decided, "not yet anyway."
I looked at him as I stood up to follow Louis, "tell me if you get any worse okay?"
"Alright," he replied.
Harry's POV:
I felt terrible.
My stomach was whirling around uncomfortably while continuously cramping like someone was stabbing hot pokers down my throat and all the way down into it and my headache was slowly progressing into a migraine, I could feel it.
Now I understood why Louis hated flying so much.
I could hear Niall crunching on his chips loudly and it wasn't doing anything to help my situation.
The plane suddenly dipped and my stomach lurched into my throat. I swallowed harshly in attempt to get it back where belonged and it worked for a few seconds before the nausea got the better of me and I barely had time to grab the air sickness bag out from the back of the seat before spilling my guts violently.
Niall gasped in shock as I put one had on the empty seat in front of me for support and continued to throw up, not even having time to breathe. By the time it finally stopped Niall had scooched over to the seat next to me and was trying awkwardly to comfort me as I struggled to regulate my breathing and calm my uneasy stomach.
"Is everything al- Oh, sweetie are you okay?"
The flight attendant had returned, probably after hearing all the commotion, and I simply looked at her with my 'does it look like it?' face. She asked if she could get me anything and after I shook my head she scurried away with a sympathetic smile.
Liam and Louis came back a few minutes later, Louis looking pale and exhausted as Liam pretty much carried him back to the seats. He caught sight of me, leaned over with my head in my hands.
"You good Haz?"
"He just threw up," Niall muttered, his whisper failing him again.
"Feel any better now?" Liam questioned as he eased Louis back into his seat. I shook my throbbing head and whimpered as my tummy cramped again painfully, making me lean further down.
"I hate to tell you two but we're only two hours in, you've gotta last another 13 hours of this," Liam stated apologetically, patting me on the back gently.
"Don't remind me. . ." Louis murmured, already half asleep.
Everything got too hot all of a sudden and I shivered involuntarily as the heat closed in around me. It was suffocating. My stomach clenched again and another wave of nausea surged through me, making my head spin. I gagged and everyone started moving apart from Louis who was luckily sound asleep.
Someone pushed me upright slightly and just as I started to throw up again a bag was thrust under my chin to catch it. Thankfully none hit the floor.
"This is awful," I gasped.
"I know Hazza, just try to calm down before you make yourself sick again," Liam soothed as Niall called the attendant over to take away another bag full of puke. It was probably the most unfortunate part of the job.
I took a deep breath and sat back, one arm wrapped tightly around my torso and my eyes squeezed shut.
"I feel sick," I whined, my voice raspy from throwing up.
"I'm not surprised," Niall scoffed, "you just threw up at least five meals in two goes."
"Just try to go to sleep Harry, maybe you'll feel better when you wake up," Liam suggested and I nodded tiredly, already slipping into a restless sleep.
Liam's POV:
Harry and Louis managed to sleep for four hours before I noticed Louis greening in his sleep and woke him up before he threw up all over himself. His eyes flew open and he instantly grabbed the bag I had at the ready and emptied his stomach. It stunk, as per usual, but I didn't hesitate to rub his back as he heaved up stomach acid and bile.
"This is so stupid, Li," he grumbled, obviously irritated.
"You'll be okay," I told him. He chuckled dryly.
"I know Liam, but still. I get to spend the flight puking everywhere and feeling miserable while the rest of you lot get to relax and have some down time, it's so unfair."
"Harry's not exactly relaxing," I pointed out, gesturing at him as he moaned quietly in his sleep.
"Yeah, but usually he's fine, I don't know what happened this time."
"Neither, and it hit so fast as well."
I frowned, casting Harry a sideways glance.
"I'm going to be sick again," Louis stated blankly and before I knew it he was retching into another bag.
Niall stumbled awkwardly as he came back down the isle with his arms full of snacks and as he plopped down into his seat Harry shot upright, eyes wide.
"Shit, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you Haz," Niall said. Harry cringed and closed his eyes again.
"Feeling any better?" I asked, knowing that he probably wasn't. He was as pale as a sheet of paper and trembling in his seat.
"No. . ." Harry uttered quietly. "I think I'm going to throw up."
And that's what he did, on and off for the next few hours until he finally fell back asleep.
Hours later when the plane finally landed we were off within minutes, Louis leading the pack as he was desperate to just get out of 'this deathtrap,' as he called it. We all piled into a van and were taken back to a fancy hotel.
After being ushered through a hoard of fans we were finally left alone in silence in the hotel room. We were all jet lagged, Louis and Harry even more so, so we all decided to just spread eagle on the floor.
"Li?" Harry squinted.
I hummed in response, turning so that I could see him.
"I-" that was all he got out before a fresh round of stomach acid barreled from his mouth and onto the carpet. His arms shook as he struggled to hold his weight upright. I was the first to react, crawling to his side. Louis just sat paralysed and Niall rushed away, probably to get a bucket or something.
My suspicions were confirmed when he returned, shoving a blue baking bowl under Harry as he continued to throw up. I would've asked where the hell he'd gotten it from if I wasn't so concerned about Harry.
If it was airsickness it would've passed by now, it had been hours since we got off the plane.
He finished and sagged forward, too weak to even catch himself. I managed to stop him in time and leaned him against the couch.
"He's sick isn't he? This isn't airsickness," Niall stated, mostly to himself. We all knew the answer.
I laid a hand on his forehead to check for a temperature and drew away quickly, feeling the heat radiating off him.
"Yup. . ." I trailed off. What a great way to start our visit in the USA.
***
Niall's POV:
Harry wasn't doing so well. We'd only been off the plane for a few hours and at the hotel for an hour or so but anyone could tell that this wasn't something that was just going to pass over night.
We were all dead on our feet, awfully jet-lagged from the fifteen hour flight we'd just endured and Louis even more so as he'd spent the time throwing up as usual but Harry was our main priority whether he liked it or not. He had made it very clear that he did not like it in the slightest.
"Just go to sleep!" He shouted from the other side of the door. He'd locked himself in the bathroom because apparently if we either didn't get enough sleep or spent to much time around him, we'd all get sick too. It was sweet and all but I couldn't understand how he didn't see that none of us really cared all that much about getting sick ourselves, we just wanted to make him feel better, or at least comfortable.
"We're not moving until you open this door, Styles," Louis declared, knocking the wood with his fist.
"Then I guess you'll be there all night," Harry replied stubbornly.
"I guess we will," I stated, shooting Liam a quick glance. He looked just about ready to kick the door down. I didn't doubt that he could.
"Harry, please just come out? If it means that much to you we won't come any where near you, but at least that way you can have a bed," Liam said, attempting at compromise.
There was a moment of silence as Harry thought it over.
"I-I feel like crap Li," he stuttered a bit and my heart broke at the thought of him alone in there trying not to cry. "I just don't want to make any of you guys feel the same."
"We know Haz," Louis said. The lock clicked and then the door slowly opened revealing a freakishly pale and trembling Harry.
"Sorry for locking myself in the bathroom," he uttered quietly. "I'm going to go to bed now."
"Alright mate, feel better." I stood back as he shuffled onto the carpet, swaying a little.
"Thanks," he slurred, tilting forwards and grabbing the wall just in time. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder at the same time instinctively and earned a dull look. I remembered what the conditions were of him coming out and slowly retracted my hand, his eyes not leaving mine until my arm was back to hanging by my side.
He used the wall to get to the bedroom and then disappeared, leaving us all staring at the empty space where he was.
"We're not actually going to go along with this right?" Louis questioned.
"Not a chance," Liam said.
An hour or so later Harry was back in the bathroom while his stomach tried to force up more, resulting in painful sounding dry heaves and sobbing.
The rest of us were on the couch, forced to listen. Liam had tried to get closer a few minutes earlier but Harry had barked at him until he'd left. Louis was asleep, his mouth open and I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. I really was at the point of complete exhaustion.
"Fuck this, I'm going in."
I stood up determinedly and strode over to the bathroom without hesitation, marching right in and crouching down at Harry's side. Saliva dripped from his lips as he gagged with nothing coming up. He had nothing left.
"Get out, Ni," he gasped, gripping the toilet tighter as his body jerked forward again.
"No," I said bluntly, not moving an inch. Looking at his tear stained face just reinforced my feelings, there was no way I was leaving this room.
"Niall!" He exclaimed, his voice cracking painfully. I just shook my head.
"I'm not going anywhere and there's nothing you can say or do that's going to change my mind Harry, so please just suck it up and let me help you."
I stared him down and it looked like he was going to stick to his guns until he nodded, finally giving in.
He shuddered, letting out a groan as his stomach cramped, "just make it stop."
"Try to calm down for me yeah? Slow down a bit." I rubbed his back as I filled a glass from the tap.
He sucked in a breath of air and lurched forward again, a cry of pain echoing off the walls around us.
"Shhhh, come on Hazza."
He wiped his mouth with his hand and took a shuddery breath, hiccuping as he exhaled. As his breathing slowed down, his grip on the bowl loosened.
"That's it. . ." I murmured.
"Thanks," he whispered after a few more moments
"Don't worry about it, it's what we're here for." I smiled, "try drink some of this, you're probably dehydrated and then if it sits we'll try get some food into you so this doesn't happen again. Sound good?"
I held the glass out to him.
He nodded silently and shakily took the glass from my hand. I watched as he put it to his lips and swallowed a small sip. He stood up and leaned against the sink, tiredly rinsing out his mouth.
"Are you ready to let us look after you properly or are you going to back to the room by yourself and continue being stubborn?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"What if I get someone sick, Ni?"
"Then we'll deal with it when it happens, if it happens. For now it's just you and we're all worried so please just let us help," I said.
"Fine," Harry decided and a smile stretched across my face. "I don't really have a choice do I?"
"Nope."
I lead him slowly out to where Liam was sitting on the couch, holding his eyes open with his fingers. Unsurprisingly, Louis was still asleep.
"You're magical, Niall, you know that?" Liam grinned when he saw me with Harry at my side.
I spun around once and grinned, "I know."
Harry plopped down onto the couch, took a deep breath and then had another sip of his water.
"So you're going to let us help now?"
Liam raised an eyebrow just as Louis made a sound and opened his eyes tiredly, squinting at us all.
He noticed Harry.
"Hey! Look who finally decided to stop being stubborn!"
Harry smiled a little bit.
"How's the water going?" I asked.
"Alright I think," he replied.
"I'll go make some toast then, hopefully it'll stay down." Liam stood up and made his way to the kitchenette, putting a piece of bread in the toaster.
***
It was a rough night.
The toast stayed down for an hour before it found it's way back inside that sexy blue baking bowl. In between we managed to get a little sleep thankfully and then afterwards there was another two puke free hours before another trip to the bathroom was made at two AM. I wasn't sure about Liam or Louis, but I didn't get anymore sleep after that and by the time morning finally came around I was somehow functioning on under three hours.
Everyone was still asleep when I decided there wasn't any point in just lying there anymore, I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep so why bother trying? I got up out of bed and headed for the kitchen, already planning an early breakfast.
I switched on the light and got a bowl out from the overhead cabinets before beginning my search for cereal. A thud made me stop still, holding a cupboard halfway open. There was another noise and I realised it was coming from the balcony. I slowly closed the cupboard and started towards the door, being the stupid idiot in every single horror movie who was about to be killed.
How someone had managed to get up onto our balcony, I had no idea but I wasn't going to run scared. I opened the door silently and relaxed when I realised it was just Louis. I let my arms drop and the tension rolled away. He hadn't noticed I was there and just as I was about to tap his shoulder he doubled over vomiting. I let out a strangled gasp.
"You can't tell Harry," he murmured as he finished up, running a hand through his hair exhaustedly. I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off.
"It'll crush him Ni, and then he'll lock himself back in the bathroom and make himself even worse than he is, please just don't tell him," he pleaded.
"What about Liam?" I asked blankly, not really knowing how to react.
"He can't keep a secret to save a life, can we keep this between us?"
Louis looked at me with those puppy-dog eyes and I found myself nodding, "fine, I won't tell. But you need to talk to me about this, okay? I need to know if you're feeling really bad."
"Thank you so much, Ni, you're the best." He smiled a little before catching a glimpse of the vomit on the ground. I picked up a small potted plant and put it on top before standing back to admire my handiwork.
It might've covered the puddle but it did look a little strange in the middle of the balcony.
"Oh well, good enough." I shrugged and gently ushered Louis inside.
"Go back to bed, you've got a reason to be tired so no one will suspect a thing," I said. Louis nodded before heading back to his bedroom.
I poured my bowl of cereal and sat down, wondering what would happen if either Liam or Harry found out about any of this. Liam would be super pissed, he liked to look after us all so the fact that Louis was ill and he didn't know would really make him angry, and if Harry knew the truth we'd probably end up in a hospital because he hadn't looked after himself or allowed any of us anywhere near him.
So pretty much I couldn't let any of them find out.
Not long later Harry came out and joined me on the couch, holding his gut protectively and squinting.
"You feeling any better?" I asked, scanning over him. He didn't look any better.
"No," he muttered.
I laid a hand on his forehead to feel his fever and winced. "Do you want some medication? And breakfast?"
"I'll take the meds," he whispered.
"Do you have a headache?"
He hummed in response and I sighed, getting up with my empty bowl to retrieve the pills.
After rinsing out my bowl I got a water bottle out of the fridge and found the medication on top of the microwave.
"Here Haz." I handed him the stuff and he forced a smile thankfully.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"I'm going to throw up," he mumbled not even ten minutes later.
"Shit."
I leaped up, ignoring the head rush I got from sitting down too long. I rushed for the bowl, it had been left in the bedroom but by the time I got back he was covered in puke and looking shocked.
I gave him the bowl anyway, in case there was anything else and after a few seconds of heavy breathing he retched up the rest.
"I'm sorry," he whimpered.
"It's alright, how about you have a shower?" I suggested.
He nodded slightly and I helped him to his feet. His knees buckled but he managed to catch himself before he hit the ground.
We made it to the bathroom and I turned the water and the fan on before shooting him a sympathetic smile and leaving him to it.
Harry's POV:
The shower did nothing to ease the queasiness that had settled in my gut but thankfully the steam managed to dissipate my headache a little, making it at least tolerable. I turned the water off half an hour later, enjoying the feel of the hot water running down my sweaty skin.
Louis was still asleep when I went to the bedroom to get changed, which was to be expected I supposed, he'd been up half the night with me and I knew everyone was jet-lagged. If I'd had it my way I they would all be still asleep while I dealt with this on my own but the lads were so protective, and they really wanted to help.
I slipped into a pair of sweats and a loose white long sleeve, ignoring the slight dizziness that was beginning to crawl in before joining Liam and Niall out on the couches.
"Better?" Niall questioned when he saw me coming.
"Yeah," I replied, lowering myself into the cushions and snuggling into the arm.
"Do you want something to eat?" Liam asked.
I shrugged, "I can try, I guess."
"Alright, just toast again?"
"I can do it." I went to stand up before catching Liam's stern gaze and sagging back, "or you can. . ."
"That's what I thought." Liam smirked as he got to work on the toast. He yawned into the back of his hand and I sighed. He was still tired, everyone was and it was because of me.
"Hey, do we have anything on today?" Niall blurted, eyes wide.
Shit. Of course we did.
"Fuck! Yes, we have an interview in-" he glanced at his watch, "just over two hours."
"We're going to call in though right? Harry can't do it and-" Niall hesitated, "and we're all so tired."
"You guys go, I'm fine here alone." I stood up to prove my point and failed miserably when my vision spun dizzily and I had to reach out for something to latch onto. My out-stretched hand soon found someone's shoulder and someone gripped my upper arm as I struggled to focus my sight.
"Yeah, looks like it." Liam scoffed, "I'll call us in, see if we can postpone it for a couple of days."
"Sounds good." Niall nodded as he put me back on the couch and I closed my eyes. Thankfully when I opened them everything was back to normal, albeit a little cloudy from being so tired.
Liam left the room as he dialed the number into his phone, leaving the toast on the bench. Niall grabbed it and sat it on my lap.
"Eat up," he ordered and I started eating, my mind elsewhere.
Louis' POV:
I wasn't completely sure how this was going to work out. I knew it was a bit of a long shot, trying to hide this from the boys but it had to be done, even Niall knew that.
I cringed as my stomach rolled forcibly under my hand and a quiet moan escaped my lips. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the nausea to pass which it thankfully did a few seconds later.
"Are you going to get up any time soon, Lou? There's no rush, the interviews been postponed until the day after tomorrow but-"
"I'm tired," I cut him off childishly.
"I know, so am I, but you can't stay in bed all-"
"Yes I can."
"Nope."
"Yes."
"Get up now and I won't tackle you," he warned and I grunted as I rolled onto my feet, almost puking right then and there. It was better than getting crushed though, that was sure to make me retch.
"Fine, happy now?"
Liam smirked, "very."
My stomach churned and a hot flash rushed through me.
"I'm going to go shower."
I pushed past him and into the bathroom, switching the water on full blast just before throwing up inside the shower, unable to get to the toilet. It burned my throat and I coughed as I finished up, hoping that the noise of the shower had been loud enough to block out the sound of me puking my guts up.
I slowly sipped on a glass of water as I waited for the water to wash away last night's dinner before stripping and hopping under the hot water. Some time later I decided that I'd been long enough and got out, wrapping a towel around myself and taking a deep breath in an attempt to ease the constant nausea.
Suddenly someone was knocking urgently on the door, screaming at me to cover myself before the door burst open and Harry frantically rushed in, Liam and Niall only a step behind.
Harry instantly fell to his knees in front of the toilet and starting throwing up while Liam tried to explain.
"Sorry Lou, the bowl got full and he just- we had to get-"
I cut him off by leaning over the sink and projectile vomiting violently, the smell of Harry's sick triggering everything I had been holding back to make a reappearance.
"Oh god. . ." Niall trailed off, looking more than a little scared.
Liam looked shocked and as Harry stopped throwing up he started sobbing.
"I knew this would happen, I told you!" He howled.
I coughed wetly and took a breath before facing him. "And we didn't listen because because we're your friends and we care about. None of us were just gonna leave you to handle this on your own no matter what you said," I rasped, "and I'm fine, I'm completely alright."
"Bullshit," Harry spat, "you feel like your stomach is trying to eat itself and you can't think straight because it's constantly trying to force it's way up your throat. And your heads thudding so harshly that you can't see, plus you're so hot one second and so cold the next, you feel like you're dying Lou and that is not my definition of fine!"
I went to say something but in the next moment Harry's eyes suddenly rolled back into his head and he slumped, passed out cold on the bathroom floor.
"Holy shit!"
***
Liam's POV:
Eighteen ours later, and we were still in the hospital with Harry. A nurse had come by to disconnect his empty fluids bag and he had just signed his discharge papers.
"I can't believe that actually happened," Niall breathed cautiously, his bright blue eyes darting between us. Harry was still sitting in the bed, looking tired and sick but at least conscious.
"I freaked out," Harry admitted, "I'm sorry."
"It's alright, we're just glad you're feeling a bit better." I grinned a little and nudged Louis who had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I wasn't mad at him for not telling us, he had his reasons and I would've done exactly the same thing in his position.
"Hey, we can leave now," I whispered. He blinked and yawned.
"He's alright?" He questioned, his voice slurring.
"I'm fine Lou, don't worry about me," Harry said.
"That's good. . ." Louis smiled tiredly, sitting up as straight as his tight stomach would allow him to.
"I'm sorry I made such a big deal out of this, if I hadn't freaked out we wouldn't be here," Harry apologised again.
"Shut up." Niall rolled his eyes, "and stop saying sorry, you didn't do anything wrong."
"Sorry."
Harry blushed, giving him a bit of colour for a few seconds.
"It's alright," Niall laughed, "can we please just go now? Hospitals creep me out."
Louis sighed in relief, "yeah, let's get out of here."
I actually think I did alright with this, it's quite long and it took a fair bit of time to write but I think it's worth it, don't you?
By the way I don't actually edit any of these, I don't really edit anything to be honest so if you are someone who gets easily annoyed by typos or something feel free to leave a comment and I'll fix it up for you :)
Thanks for all your reading and voting guys, and also thanks to the silent readers, you're all terrific!