It's back! how exciting. I know last time I had this up I said the uploading schedule would be every Wednesday, but I think this time it will be every Saturday. If we're lucky it actually might be two times a week, but definitely on Saturdays. With school ending soon I will have more time to write! However the exception to this weekly update is this week, because I have April break and still have the first few chapters written. So yeah. Enjoy! Review even though you've already read this chapter! I did change a few things so look out.
ALSO! Look out for another new multi-chapter coming soon. This one is showverse. That's all the hints I'm giving!
James wakes up earlier than normal on their last day in Cologne due to a pounding in his head. He groans, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes as if it would stop the throbbing in his temples, but it does nothing to aid the pain in his head. It takes him a moment to think past his headache and realize that it's not the only thing that's off about him. His body aches, he can barely breathe through his nose, and he's absolutely freezing, and it takes a second to analyze his symptoms before he's taking one of his hands and feeling his forehead. It burns to the touch, but James isn't sure if that's because he's sick or because his hand is freezing cold.
He pushes himself up into a sitting position and wills the throbbing to stop in his head, or at least calm down so he can get up and walk. When he does stand up, he stumbles a bit and has to wait several seconds for his vision to clear as much as it can before he wanders over to the bathroom. He sticks a hand in the shower and turns the water on before turning to look at himself in the mirror.
James literally winces as he takes in his appearance. His eyes are bloodshot and his hair is a mess, and his cheeks are rosier than they normally are. His arms are covered in goose bumps and James sure hopes that he doesn't look so bad after his shower. He and the boys have a signing today and the guys won't let him step a foot out of the hotel if he looks sick. The last thing he wants to do is disappoint the fans, especially the German ones who only get to see them when they fly over here once in a while.
Stripping, James checks to make sure the water temperature is good before stepping into the shower. The warm water eliminates the cold problem and gets rid of his stuffy nose, but the aching in his head and muscles are persistent. The short bout of dizziness he experienced when he first stood up is returning and it's then that James decides that this will be one of the shortest showers of his life.
He washes his hair and the rest of his body in record time before shutting the water off and grabbing a towel, wrapping it around his waist. He nearly slips walking out of the shower due to his wet feet combined with the dizziness, but he manages to live long enough to make it to the main area of his hotel room.
James finds his glasses and slips them on, knowing that his eyes will get irritated if he even bothers with contacts today. He slips on boxer briefs and jeans and pairs them with a nice blue button down and white tie. Normally, he would go and blow dry his hair, but the thought of the time and effort put into that plus how the heat would feel against his head don't sound like a good idea right now. He woke up early enough that it has time to dry on its own before the signing, and it only really curls when it's longer.
Satisfied that he's ready for the day, James crawls back into bed, opting to leave the covers off. A glance at the clock tells him it's only half past six, meaning he has an hour and fifteen minutes left before he has to leave. He yawns and slips his glasses off, setting them on his bedside table before trying to catch back up on sleep.
Unfortunately, the pounding in his head becomes relentless over the next hour, and instead of sleeping like he wants to, James spends the rest of his remaining time tossing, turning, and praying for his headache to let up. He knows that Carlos has Motrin, but that would require him getting up and going to Carlos' room to ask for it, and worse, letting one of his band mates know that he's sick. Neither option looks too appealing to James, so he decides to soldier on through it.
Ten minutes later there's a knock on his door, obviously one or all of the guys telling him it's time to go. He grabs his glasses again and stands up, standing up again and shutting his eyes while he waits for the dizziness to pass. He passes by the mirror once, noting his appearance looks a little better than earlier, and runs a few fingers through his hair before opening the door.
"You look like shit," Carlos says immediately, and James frowns at his friend's bluntness.
"Well thanks, Carlos," he replies, stepping into the hallway and checking that he has his phone before letting the door shut behind him. "I didn't think my glasses looked that bad."
Carlos rolls his eyes, but then concern masks his face. "Seriously though," he says. "Are you feeling okay?"
James smiles. "I'm fine," he lies. "Just a little tired, that's all." He begins to walk away from the group, but a hand on his wrist stops any progress forward.
He turns and looks down at the hand holding his wrist, and he sees pale skin and a few bracelets before his eyes travel up and meet Kendall's. Suddenly, the place where Kendall is touching him is burning, and it has nothing to do with James's sickness.
And alright, he's not going to lie when he says he hasn't thought of Kendall as attractive before, and that he wouldn't mind hugging or kissing or even dating his best friend. But he's not about to go tell Kendall that, not when Kendall has shown no interest in him other than being friends, and James really doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Kendall.
"James, seriously," Logan says, finally entering the conversation. "If you're not feeling well, you don't have to go."
"Logan, I feel fine," James reassures his friend, but looking back at Kendall, the look in his eyes says he doesn't believe a word James is saying. Kendall reaches his hand up to put it on James' forehead, but James backs up before they can make contact. Simultaneously, all three of his friends give him the same skeptical expression and James bites his lip.
"If you're feeling so well, why don't you let me feel your forehead?" Kendall asks, smirking.
James gulps. "I just didn't know why your hand was coming towards my face," he responds. "Go ahead. Feel my forehead. See if I care."
So Kendall does. He pushes James' bangs out of the way and rests his palm flat against the taller's forehead, James's cheeks flushing at the contact. Of course he can always blame it on his rosacea, but he wishes he didn't have a physical reaction to his best friend making contact with him.
"James, you're burning up," Kendall says, his eyebrows furrowing as he pulls his hand away from James' head. "I really think you should just stay here today, bro."
James rolls his eyes. "I'm fine, really," he tries to reassure again, but Kendall, Carlos, and Logan aren't buying it. "I don't want to disappoint the fans! We're in Germany, we hardly ever go here. They're going to be disappointed if just the three of you show up!"
"Gee, thanks," Carlos responds. "But really James, if you're not feeling well you should probably stay here. Your health is more important than meeting the fans, and I'm sure they'll understand you skipping out on the signing because you're sick."
Logan puts a hand on Carlos' shoulder and says, "You know he's right. Plus, you wouldn't want to get any fans sick, would you?"
Normally when Logan and Carlos gang up on him, he has Kendall to turn to for back up. But when he glances at the blonde, he has his arms crossed over his chest and is giving James a stern look that lets James know it's him versus the other three.
He lets out a sigh, mimicking Kendall and crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll make a deal then," he bargains. "I'll go to the signing, and if I feel sick, or you guys think I look worse, I'll leave early, alright?"
They think about it for a moment, and Kendall is chewing on the inside of his cheek as he looks to Carlos and Logan. They use the silent communication method that freaks out the people outside of their foursome to come to their conclusion.
"Fine," Kendall finally says. "But if you look worse on the way there, don't think we're not going to turn right back around and drop your sorry ass off here, got it?"
James smiles, even though his head is still pounding. "Got it."
An hour and a half later, James is waving goodbye to a long line of disappointed fans as security leads him out of the building. He only stayed for forty five minutes, something he definitely didn't expect. He thought that his pounding headache would go away, but instead it worsened. He became increasingly dizzier as the signing wore on and he even had some trouble hearing a couple of fans because it felt like someone had stuffed balls of cotton in his ears. Finally, after he decided the babbling and screaming girls were too much for his poor head to handle, he whispered to Carlos that he was going to leave. The Latino shot him an I told you so look, but James could also tell he was worried.
When he had stood up, all the fans were confused. Logan and Kendall had even glanced up at him for a moment with confusion, but only for a minute when they realized what he was about to announce. All the fans quieted down to hear his several apologies about leaving early but that he was feeling under the weather and should probably go get some rest.
Now he's getting into the back of the car that would take him back to the hotel, and it felt strange without the other three with him. They usually did everything together, even on their days off, and having the few moments of solitude they had felt weird. He especially felt lonely because he was in unfamiliar territory, and it would really be nice to have at least someone else there with him to get lost with. Not that he would get lost, seeing as a chauffeur was driving him back to the hotel and the only finding he had to do was his room, but still. He would be much more comfortable with the other three by his side.
James would also be more comfortable if everything didn't hurt right now. The pounding in his head has doubled, the body aches have become more intense, and his face is heated in a way that has nothing to do with Kendall. He sniffles in a failed effort to breathe through his nose and looks out the window at the unfamiliar city as his driver weaves through traffic. To be honest, all European traffic James has experienced so far is scary, and he's glad that no one trusts him with a vehicle here because he'd probably freak out.
Finally they reach the hotel and James gets out of the car, two security guards waiting for him by the hotel entrance. No one is recognizing him, but he's glad that the guards are with him all the way to his hotel room. Most fans are sane, but he'll never forget the girls who rode up and down the elevators in one of his hotels just to meet him or one of the other guys. He's definitely glad there are no screaming girls here to add to his headache.
When he reaches his room, he thanks security and enters the key into the slot, practically running into his room once the door is open. He kicks off his shoes and all but falls onto the mattress of his bed, not even bothering to take off his tie or jeans as he buries himself under the covers. He was having hot and cold flashes all throughout the signing, and now happened to be one of his cold flashes.
Unfortunately, with all these continuous symptoms added together, James has no doubt that he might be coming down with something. He hasn't been getting much sleep lately, and with the international flight he took two days ago, his sleeping schedule has been off balance. He's hoping that he's wrong about having an actual cold, and that any illness he might have can be slept off in a nice, long nap.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and opens his twitter application, profusely apologizing to the fans yet again and doing a small tweet spree to reconcile for his absence at the signing. Soon, though, his eyelids are drooping and he sets his phone on the nightstand before falling asleep.
What feels like minutes later, James opens his eyes to the sound of the door opening. His glasses, which he had forgotten to take off prior to his nap, are askew on his face as he reads the time on the digital clock next to his bed. It tells him its quarter past four, so obviously he's been asleep way longer than a few minutes. But his head is still pounding and his body still aches and his nose is even more stuffy than before. The only difference is that now he's absolutely burning compared to the chill he was feeling earlier.
He looks up just as Kendall, Carlos, and Logan walk into the room, and for a brief moment James wonders how they got in before he remembers that they all have keys to each others' rooms. "Hey," he says sleepily, and his voice sounds nasally and maybe he really is sick.
The boys look over him for a second, scrutinizing his appearance. "Well, he's worse," Logan announces, sitting at the end of the bed.
Carlos nods in agreement, but Kendall doesn't say anything. Instead, he strides past both of them and pushes James' bangs away from his face again, this time bending down and pressing his lips to the brunette's forehead. James is too tired and his head is throbbing too much for him to really comprehend what's going on, and when he does, Kendall has already pulled back.
"He feels warmer," Kendall informs the other two. "Carlos, do you have that thermometer?"
Carlos nods again and reaches into a backpack that James didn't notice he had, digging around for a bit before finding what he was looking for. He hands the small white instrument to Kendall, and the blonde murmurs a soft, "Hold still," before he's sticking it in James' ear and holding the button down. A couple of seconds pass before the thermometer beeps, and then Kendall is pulling it out of James' ear and reading the small, digital screen.
"James," he says, his eyebrows furrowing. "101.4, that's not good."
James frowns at the results. "But I don't like being sick," he whines.
"I have Motrin," Carlos says, "But I'm not sure how long it will last, or how much it will help."
James goes to sit up only to have Kendall push him back down. He goes to protest, but Kendall gives him a stern look and silences any opposition he has to Kendall babying him. James sighs and says, "Well, if there's any chance that the Motrin will get rid of the pounding in my head, hand it over."
Carlos digs through his bag again and pulls out the small pill bottle, handing it to Kendall. The blonde unscrews the cap and pops two pills into his hand, handing them to James. "Hey Logan, could you go get James some water?" he asks, and Logan nods and disappears into the bathroom for a moment. James makes a face as he hears the tap come on, and Kendall and Carlos both shoot him apologetic looks. They all know James hates drinking tap water, one of his many weird, picky habits.
Logan returns with the water and gives it to Kendall, who then allows James to sit up, handing him the pills and the glass. James swallows both of them with ease, and Kendall doesn't even have to force him to lie back down because he's eager to have his head hit the pillow again. Kendall gives him a smile tight with concern and James turns over, burying his face into the pillow.
The other three stay in his room until eightish, watching television they don't understand due to the language barrier and providing James with tissues when he needs them. Apparently Carlos has a couple of packs of tissues in his backpack, and James is beginning to wonder if Carlos raided a drug store before coming to see him.
At eight fifteen, James lets out a big yawn. Even though he slept most of the day away, he's still behind on his sleep and the added characteristic of being sick doesn't help much either. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan turn their heads at the sound of the yawn, and Carlos and Logan stand from the bed, searching the room for their shoes.
"We should probably let you get some rest, huh?" Carlos says, smiling at James and walking over to fondly muss his hair. James is too cold to care, the blankets wrapped tight around him like a cocoon, but he smiles and says goodbye to Carlos. Logan comes over and gives James his farewell also, flicking James in the ear and earning a halfhearted angry shout from the brunette.
"I'm going to go get my things," Kendall says, making sure he has both the key to James' room and his own room before walking towards the door. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight."
Carlos and Logan wait until Kendall gets back before bidding their final goodbyes and leaving, letting the room fall into silence with the exception of the low, foreign murmurs coming from the television.
"You don't have to stay with me, you know," James says, shivering despite the thick comforter surrounding his body. "I can take care of myself."
Kendall laughs softly, dropping his duffel bag next to the bed. "I know," he responds. "But you're my best friend, so I'm going to make sure you get better as soon as possible, okay? Now get up. I don't care how tired or cold you are, you're not sleeping in jeans and a tie."
James groans and sits up as Kendall crosses the room to James' suitcase, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt for James to wear to bed. He pushes the covers off his friend's shoulders and helps him up, loosening the brunette's tie while James deals with the buttons on his shirt. Once James is shirtless he shivers, and Kendall hands him his night shirt. He waits for James to pull the shirt on over his head before handing him the sweatpants and turning so James could take off his jeans without him looking. Kendall listens to the rustle of fabric and waits until he hears James mutter a soft, "Done," before turning around and collecting James' dirty clothes, putting them back in the other boy's suitcase.
When Kendall turns back around, James is already buried under the blanket again, tufts of brown hair just visible on the pillow. Kendall lets out another soft laugh, and James turns at the noise. "Try to get some rest, okay?" He says, walking over to his duffel and pulling out his own pajamas. "We have an early flight back to the states tomorrow, and you probably need extra rest."
"Okay," James says, yawning again. "Thanks for staying with me, by the way. It's really nice of you."
"You've got a friend in me," Kendall sings as he pulls on his new shirt. "But seriously, it's not a problem. The power of bromance, you know?"
"Mhmmm," James responds, taking off his glasses and leaving them on the nightstand. "Night, Kendall."
Kendall turns off the light and crawls into bed beside James, making an exception for a cover-hogging James because he's sick. "Goodnight, James."
The next morning Kendall is awake before the sun rises, and he's never been a morning person but their flight back to the states is ridiculously early and they all need to be up and good to go. He has no worries about Carlos and Logan getting up on time, seeing how Logan always wakes up early for a morning jog and Carlos is good with a few cups of coffee. Usually James is the same as Logan, but as Kendall gets out of bed, James is still a dead weight.
He decides to let James sleep a little more, knowing James would rather choose sleep and wearing sweatpants on the plane than getting up and showering and getting properly dressed. Meanwhile, Kendall himself takes a speedy shower, and gets changed into a pair of sweatpants he stole from James' suitcase and one of his favorite tank tops. There's twenty five minutes before they have to leave for the airport, and they still need to double check and make sure they have everything from the room before leaving.
Kendall sits down next to James on the edge of the bed and nudges the boys shoulder, shaking him a few times. "James," he says quietly, getting close to his friend's face. "James, wake up."
The brunette groans and swats Kendall's hand away, turning over so that his back was facing Kendall. The blonde sighs and grabs the thermometer off the nightstand, leaning over James a bit so he can stick the device in his friend's ear. He holds down the button again and waits for the beep, and when it sounds he pulls back and looks at the number.
"James, come on," Kendall says, his tone a little more urgent. "We have to leave in twenty minutes and your fever has gone up. If you want some Motrin before we go on the plane, you have to get up now."
It's silent for a moment before James groans into his pillow, pushing himself up and rubbing at his eyes. "What time is it?"
"5:30," Kendall responds. "Our flight leaves at seven thirty so we really have to get going soon."
"Okay, okay," James says, and his voice sounds so clogged up and stuffy that Kendall reaches over and grabs a tissue from the pack Carlos left with them and hands it to James, who nods in thank you before blowing his noise rather loudly. "What's my temperature anyway?"
"101.7," Kendall responds, reaching over to grab two Motrin and the cup of water he had prepared earlier while he was getting ready. "Here, take these. I figured you'd rather sleep than shower, so you can just wear what you're wearing onto the plane and shower when you get home. Do you want me to grab you a sweatshirt before I pack up your suitcase?"
James blinks, taking a moment to process all the information that Kendall just gave him. Finally, after a few seconds, he says. "Uh, yeah. Get me the blue striped one if you can find it." Kendall nods and gets up, leaving James to swallow the pills. By the time he returns with James' sweatshirt, James is looking into the mirror that hangs across from the bed and trying to fix his hair. He hands James the sweatshirt and the brunette quickly slips it on, zipping it up the second he can.
"Hey, can I borrow one of your beanies?" he asks. "My hair is sort of a lost cause, so."
Kendall nods and walks over to his duffel, digging around a bit before he finds his favorite gray beanie. Once he has it, he turns back around and puts it on James, tugging it down so it fit the way it was supposed to. "Thanks," James says, and his voice is all hoarse and tired and Kendall feels bad that his friend is so sick.
He lets James lay back down as he goes around the room, double checking everywhere to make sure they have everything in their suitcases. Once he's sure that they're all packed and ready to go, he brings their bags over to the door so they can grab them on their way out. Then he walks back over to the bed and plops himself down near James' feet, biting his lip as he looked over the other boy. James doesn't look any better than he did yesterday; if anything, he looks worse.
"You feeling okay, buddy?" he asks, and his tone reminds him a lot of his mom's when he's sick. But he really likes James and they're best friends, and if Kendall thinks about it, he's actually never seen James sick with more than a small cold, so this is all new to him and he can't help but be worried.
James shakes his head. "No," he says, "But when we get home we have a few days free and I'll be able to get rid of whatever this is by sleeping it off."
The blonde frowns, his eyebrows furrowing together. "If you're sure," he responds hesitantly. "But if it gets bad, I'm taking you to the doctor's."
James groans, sitting up. "It's not going to get that bad," he whines. "Stop worrying so much, okay? I'll be fine."
"I will worry however much I want," Kendall defends, "I'm just trying to make sure you're okay. I wouldn't want you dying or anything. It'd be hard to find a new fourth member and explain it to all of the younger fans…though I suppose Dustin could take your spot…"
James lets out a soft laugh and scoots closer, resting his head on Kendall's shoulder. "Oh, please," he scoffs. "If I died, you would have way worse problems than finding a new member to take my place."
"Hmm," Kendall hums, letting his head rest on top of James'. "Like what?"
"Your devastating heartbreak over losing your best friend," James replies, stating it like it were obvious. "Your life would suck without me, like that one Kelly Clarkson song."
"Kelly Clarkson is hot, man," Kendall comments, ignoring the actual point of the conversation. "My life would suck without her."
James smacks his knee, pouting. "Not the point!" Kendall snickers and smacks his knee back, and they both chuckle before they fall into silence.
It's silent between them for a few more minutes, and James' breathing is getting heavier and Kendall can tell the taller boy is getting close to sleep even though they have to leave in a few short minutes. But instead of waking him up, Kendall turns his head just slightly, planting a small kiss on James' forehead. "By the way," he whispers, "I would be devastatingly heartbroken if you died, just so you know."
James doesn't say anything, but the blonde can feel him smiling wide against his shoulder.