Why Don't We Sickfics

ADHD

I'm on such a lack of sleep it's not even funny... I think I passed out or something when I was standing in a line this morning and I somehow ended up on the ground. But whatever, because if I want to write WDW sickfics instead of sleeping, that's what I'm going to do :)

j a c h a r y ?

Jack missed a lot of things.

He didn't realize that the boys had decided to start a band until they asked Jack his opinion on their name. He didn't learn that the boys had been signed with Atlantic Records until they were jumping up and down and running around. He didn't even find out that Gabbie broke up with him until she got up from her seat and walked away.

It always seemed like things flew over his head. And it wasn't like he was purposefully ignoring them. He just spaced out too often. Jack hated that he always looked like the stupid one when he had to ask, "Wait, what just happened?"

And it wasn't like he couldn't focus, either. If they were talking about something he was fascinated about- like music- Jack had no problem paying attention. Or Fortnite. Jack was good at Fortnite.

So it made sense that Jack's least favorite part of going on tour was the interviews. You had to sit still and pay attention-- laugh at all the right times, insert jokes and stories as much as possible, and always be prepared to answer questions. It felt like school all over again. Just when he thought he'd finally escaped it.

The interview they were stuck in right now was one of those boring ones. The ones that obviously aren't fans. The ones that think asking the boys "who's single?" and "what song is your favorite?" and "how did you form the band?" were questions that the fans wanted to know. They'd probably answered these questions hundreds of times.

Jack stared at the interviewer's face blankly. She was talking, but he heard nothing coming out of her mouth. She was wearing a peacock-patterned shirt. It reminded him of Isla's jewel-toned eyes. He hadn't seen Isla in a long time. He missed her. When he got home, he was going to squeeze her cute little face.

Zach put his hand on Jack's thigh. The touch sent a tingling sensation through his body, and Jack jolted back into reality. "What are you doing?" he hissed at his bandmate.

Zach frowned. "Sorry. You were just bouncing that leg a lot, and it's a little distracting."

"Oh. Sorry." Jack turned back to the interviewer, smiling aimlessly. He fidgeted with his rings.

The conversation around him stopped, and Jack looked up to realize they were all staring at him.

"Sorry, I must have missed the question." Jack said, trying to laugh it off.

"No problem. What was the best gift you've ever gotten, and who was the one to give it to you?"

Jack felt the gaze of the other boys burning holes through his body, but couldn't think of a good answer to save his life.

"So," Corbyn interrupted, "last Christmas I gave Jack an eggplant." The blond boy was obviously trying to rescue the interview, and Jack sent an appreciative smile in his direction.

"An eggplant?" the interviewer asked.

"Oh, not just an eggplant. It was a personalized eggplant." Corbyn grinned.

Jack decided to step in a little. It was his question, after all, and it wouldn't be fair to the band if he didn't contribute to the interview. "Yeah, nothing beats a moldy eggplant with song lyrics painted on it."

"It was only moldy because you live so far away!" Corbyn protested.

The conversation moved on. Jack internally kicked himself for missing the question. How could he have been so stupid? This was their career. Interviews were part of it. He just had to focus on this for a little longer. Focus. Focus. Focus.