just a quick one! hope you enjoy xx
[unedited]
The Why Don't We boys were bang smack in the middle of their Europe tour, having the time of their lives performing for their fans almost every night, waking up in a different country every morning. It really was a dream come true.
Corbyn wakes up one morning, still in the tour bus, to a light tickle in the back of his throat. Once his eyes are fully open, he coughs slightly to ease the tickle, but then groans when it doesn't do anything but worsen it. He decides to ignore it and get out of bed, rolling onto the tour bus floor. Jack snorts at this from his bunk, making Corbyn wordlessly flip him off and walk into the main room, where Jonah and Daniel are talking near the coffee machine. Of course. Jonah is the first to notice Corbyn, his whole face lighting up.
"Morning Bean! Want some coffee?" He asks, giving him a large, cheesy grin. Daniel scoffs and mutters 'why don't I get offered coffee', but Jonah completely ignores him.
"Morning-" Corbyn stops talking when his voice cracks, and his face flushes in embarrassment. Daniel laughs at him, and Jonah smiles slightly. He tries clearing his throat before speaking.
"Sorry, no coffee for me thanks." His tries again, but his voice still comes out raspy and crackly. Both boys' faces drop, noticing this.
"Everything alright Corbs? Your voice sounds pretty rough." Jonah asks, concerned. It was times like this that his overprotective side came out. Besides, he was pretty smitten over Corbyn.
"Y-Yeah, just a little sore. I should be fine in a bit." Corbyn tries to smile, but he can't deny the looming feeling that the tickle was becoming more of a pain the more he speaks.
"Want some medicine or something?" Jonah asks, not letting Corbyn go so easily. Corbyn gives him a sharp look but then reconsiders, thinking of the day they had ahead.
"Fine." He grumbles, sitting down at the table and leaning against the cool wood, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, someone lightly massages his shoulder and he cracks his eyes open, seeing Jonah standing above him. The older looks at him sympathetically, handing him the small pill and a glass of water. Corbyn quickly downs the pill, cringing when the friction makes his throat burn. Tears spring to his eyes and he abruptly grabs Jonah's wrist, making the older boy panic slightly. Corbyn keeps his eyes squeezed closed, waiting for the pain to pass. When it finally does, he breathes out a breath of relief.
"That hurt so fucking much." Corbyn whimpers, looking up at the older boy with sad eyes. Jonah looks at him with his eyebrows furrowed in worry, and he quickly runs his hand through Corbyn's soft hair, rubbing his neck gently when his hand reaches it.
"Aw I'm sorry bub, is there anything I can do to help?" He asks calmly, his eyes never leaving the younger boy. By this point, all the other boys have entered the room, watching the two worriedly.
"Probably not." Corbyn says quietly, trying to not strain his voice.
"What's wrong Corbs?" Jack asks softly, coming up to the blonde boy. Corbyn looks at Jonah suggestively to ask him to speak.
"His throat hurts a little." Jonah says. Jack makes an 'oh' sound, smiling sadly at Corbyn.
"Sorry bro, will you be able to sing today? Cause you know we have that acoustic performance of 8 Letters, right?" Jack says. Corbyn frowns, gulping slightly in fear and immediately wincing in regret.
"I-I'll be fine, I just need to stay hydrated." Even through Corbyn's broken smile, they can sense his hesitance and his unease.
***
Corbyn's stomach is swimming with nerves as they set up to record their live version of 8 Letters. He's staring directly at the microphone in front of him, occasionally sipping from his water bottle and shuffling around on his stool. His throat is tight and raw, and he doesn't know if he's going to hold up for the live version. He watches the other boys mess around with each other, his mind buzzing as they warn them that they're going to start in five minutes. Corbyn turns to face Jack, trying to call his name, but nothing comes out. He coughs quickly out of panic, trying to regain his voice. He feels his heart thumping as he tries speaking again, and this time thankfully his voice does come out, but barely anything. Jack looks over at Corbyn, noticing his distressed state.
"Jack... call Jonah please." Corbyn croaks. Jack nods wearily and nudges Jonah, interrupting him from his conversation with Daniel. Within seconds, Jonah is standing in front of Corbyn, bending down to meet his eyes.
"Whats wrong babe?" Jonah asks quietly, watching Corbyn with concern.
"I-I don't think... I can sing." Corbyn croaks, his voice weak. Jonah's mouth opens and closes a few times, but nothing comes out. He places his hands on Corbyn's upper knee reassuringly, watching the younger boy tear up.
"It's okay love. I'll sing your parts, you can just do the joint harmonies if you want." Jonah compromises, and Corbyn nods, feeling a weight removed from his shoulders. Jonah scoots back to his seat when they yell thirty seconds, sending Corbyn one last glance before concentrating on singing his parts.
Corbyn feels his heart thumping and his hands shaking as they begin singing, Jonah's voice immediately soothing some of his nerves. His can't help glancing at the older boy, looking away shyly every time he catches his eye. When it gets to his line, everyone seems taken aback when Jonah sings instead, giving Corbyn questioning looks, making the blonde boy feel guilty.
He tries joining in on the group harmonies, but nothing comes out when he tries singing, making his almost burst into tears on the spot. He can't help feeling useless as the other boys hit the harmonies perfectly, even without him. When they finally stop filming, the tears that he had been holding in fall down the blondes cheeks immediately. His sobs attract his bandmates attention and they all jump off their stools, going to crowd around Corbyn. Jonah pushes through, his heart breaking when he sees Corbyn's face.
"Oh Bean..." He whispers, pulling Corbyn into his arms. Corbyn latches on immediately, sniffling slightly, burying his face into Jonah's neck and breathing in his scent.
"I'm so sorry." Corbyn whispers brokenly. Daniel, Jack and Zach exchange look, feeling sorry for their bandmate.
"It's okay bub, we don't blame you. You did everything you could." Jonah whispers, trying to calm him down. Corbyn hears Tyler's worried voice asking what was wrong, and Jonah explains how he has lost his voice, making Corbyn let out another panicked sob. He needs his voice, it's his job, he can barely spend a day without singing for one reason or another. Jonah lifts Corbyn's head after hearing him, holding his cheeks in his hand.
"Hey, hey, stop that, you're getting distressed." He whispers, trying to stop the tears from falling.
"Okay, Jo, take him back to the tour bus, let him rest. We'll try and get things sorted for tonight's show." Tyler orders quickly, ushering the two boys out of the room. Jonah feels a slight excitement at being alone with the boy, but it's crushed when he sees Corbyn's face. He picks up the boy, letting him wrap his legs around him, and taking him to the tour bus, that was waiting right outside. They enter and it's completely empty, allowing Jonah to hear Corbyn's soft whimpers. He sets him down on the sofa, once again holding his face in his hands to keep him still.
"Bean, you have to calm down for me buddy, everything's gonna be fine." Jonah says soothingly. Corbyn feels useless as he tries to speak and nothing comes out. He clears his throat and attempts to speak again.
"It's not Jo..." His broken, shaky voice softens Jonah's face, making his heart hurt. He just wants Corbyn to calm down. "I-I can't sing, I-I'm useless... w-what if they get mad at me, or i-if they fire me, there's literally nothing I can do without my voice, i-i need-" Jonah has enough, and interrupts Corbyn's weak speech by placing his lips softly against his. Corbyn lets out a pleased and surprised sound, melting into the sofa. His hands travel to Jonah's biceps, gripping them tightly as Jonah holds his face. Their lips move together, sending butterflies through their stomachs. When they eventually part, they stay close, holding each other tightly. Jonah's hands slip down from his face, to his waist, holding himself up in his kneeling position. He didn't want to admit it, but the kiss had left his legs trembling slightly.
"Well that's something you can do without using your voice." Jonah laughs cheekily, daring to finally look into Corbyn's shocked eyes. Corbyn's mouth opens and closes a few times as he tries to formulate words, and eventually he just settles with a content smile.
"Now will you please shut up Corbs? We need you to rest your voice." Jonah says, sounding like a stern mother, making Corbyn laugh. He mouths a quick 'okay', before scooting over on the sofa, pulling Jonah's arm to make him lie next to him.
"Good job Bean, I'm proud of you." Jonah says, cuddling up to the blonde boy. The sick boy hums in appreciation, his cheeks blushing.
"Now just relax. I promise, by tomorrow you'll feel as good as new."
***
And of course, Jonah was completely correct. The next morning, Corbyn is relieved when he can speak again, although Jonah doesn't let him speak much anyways, just to be safe. And he had the perfect way to stop him from speaking, if he needed it ;).
word count: 1640
hope you liked this! it's short, i know, sorry hahaha x
i just posted the first chapter for my new Zonah book, "Cover Up", if you wanna go check that out! thank you all so much for your support xxx