Why Don't We Sickfics

Hiding The Struggle

requested by nicol_0326

there's a bit of Jachary in this. mostly at the end though :)

"Zach. Zach, get up!" Jonah shouted, swiping open the curtain to Zach's bunk on the tour bus. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

"Got it!" he called back, hearing Jonah's footsteps retreat down the hall.

He let out a long chain of harsh coughs. Just calling out was too much strain on his voice. It must be from the show yesterday. he told himself.

Yesterday had been a full day-- two radio interviews in the morning and a TV interview in the afternoon, followed by the sound check for the show, the actual show, and the meet- and- greet. It made sense to be tired.

Today was going to be another full day, but not exactly as bad. They had an interview in the morning, a live TV performance and interview later on, and then the show at the end of the day. They had decided to do two shows in this city, because it had sold out so quickly.

Zach pulled himself out of bed, still fatigued and drowsy. But he knew the other boys would be tired too, and they wouldn't be happy if he slowed them down. He yawned, letting out another series of painful coughs.

Wow, I really must have killed my voice yesterday, he thought. It was pretty cold, so he put on a hoodie and his black jeans. He looked in the mirror to see his face was a little more flushed than usual, but attributed it to the exhaustion.

Zach glanced at the time, realizing with alarm that they only had a couple minutes before they had to leave for the morning interview. He ran a comb through his hair and swiped his toothbrush over his teeth a couple times before he hopped out of his bunk and rushed to the kitchen. He grabbed a banana, taking a giant bite. He instantly regretted it, cupping his hand over his mouth. There was too much banana to chew.

Corbyn chuckled. "Zach, let's go. Eat the banana in the car."

Zach nodded, hopping off the tour bus and into the van. The tour bus was useful for staying in, but while they were traveling in the city, they used a van. It was more compact and attracted much less attention.

Zach was starting to feel pretty cold, despite being stuck in the middle seat. He shivered slightly, and Jack looked up from his Twitter feed. "You good?"

"Yeah. It's just cold." Zach sighed.

Stuck in the middle, he felt like he needed a little more breathing room. The youngest member of the group leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. It was a little more comfortable in this position.

The van pulled to a sudden stop, and Zach felt himself surge forward a little. He groaned a little, starting to feel a little carsick. He hadn't felt too carsick in a long time, but he attributed it to his exhaustion.

He leaned back in the seat, massaging his temples. Maybe this would help him feel a little better.

Jack frowned. "Bro, are you sure you're okay?"

"Mmm." Zach mumbled in agreement.

"Well, you're really hot. Do you want to take that sweater off?" Jack asked.

Zach looked around to notice all of his bandmates were in t-shirts. "What, no! It's cold." he sighed, pulling his hoodie strings a little tighter.

"Alright, then." Jack went back to his phone.

They arrived at the radio station. As usual, they headed to the recording booth, got microphones, and the interview started. Zach had kind of gotten used to getting interviewed, so this wasn't really a big deal anymore. He was comfortable being in the hot seat, especially with his best friends beside him.