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kryzobi-wan · 1 year ago

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The Sound of Mandalore

Chapter 13/20: Something Good

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<< Chapter 12

Satine stood out on her private terrace, breathing in the stillness of the night. It had been quiet recently. She was thankful for that. The cityscape loomed before her, twinkling in the way she loved to watch.

Down below, in the palace gardens, the Jedi meandered through rows of flowers and plants, stopping every so often to look closer at one. He was wearing a much different outfit than he usually wore, and Satine wondered how she hadn’t noticed before. Gone were his robes and flowing sleeves. Instead, he wore a dark blue tunic and trousers, along with a cape slung over his shoulders.

Now she was certain he hadn’t been wearing this before. Or if he was, it was underneath his signature outer robe. He looked nice. He looked—Mandalorian.

While Satine puzzled over this development with a pensive look on her face, another figure joined her on the balcony.

“There you are,” Tal Merrik spoke with a toothy smile, resting his elbows on the railing next to her. She could feel the edges of his clothes brush against her upper arm, causing a shiver to creep up her spine.

He followed her line of sight down to the garden and immediately stiffened, his smile almost imperceptibly shifting into something less sincere. “I was hoping we might discuss some changes to our public policy, before I head back to Kalevala.”

Satine made no effort to shift her gaze away from Obi-Wan, so lost in thought she was.

“I’m afraid I’m not in the right state to be discussing politics right now, Senator, you’ll have to forgive me,” she answered.

Merrik nodded, standing back up to his full height and stepping closer, his body turned to face the Duchess.

“That’s alright, Satine. We can discuss… other things instead, if you’d prefer.”

As he spoke, he lifted his hand and brushed his fingertips against her arm, causing her to immediately jolt away. He had at least accomplished one thing: her focus had finally been torn away from Kenobi.

She shot him a nasty glare and exclaimed, “Senator Merrik!”

Despite her negative reaction, he only drew nearer, causing Satine to back away. Her gaze flicked back down to Obi-Wan. He had taken a seat on a bench that she knew offered a wonderful view of the city. What she wouldn’t do to be down there with him instead of up here.

Just when she was about to call on her guards, the tapping of metal on transparisteel announced someone else’s arrival, and both Merrik and Satine turned to see Anakin Skywalker standing in the doorway with his arms crossed.

“Everything alright, Duchess?” he asked, his piercing gaze fixed on Merrik.

Satine shot him a grateful look and responded, “Yes, the Senator was just leaving. He unfortunately must return to Kalevala tonight on urgent business.”

Merrik’s mouth opened and closed, unable to formulate an intelligent response. It seemed not even the Senator was brave enough to challenge one of the most powerful Jedi in existence. At least, he was smart enough not to try.

Anakin stepped closer, making his height advantage quite clear over Merrik. “You’d best be on your way then, Senator,” he said, the threat evident in his voice.

Merrik knew when he was beat. He cleared his throat, looking between the two of them before bowing to Satine and leaving through the open doorway at once.

Once he had gone, Satine sighed in relief. “You have the best timing, Knight Skywalker,” she spoke, leaning back against the railing.

“I sensed I might be needed out here,” he explained with a shrug.

She’d only met the newly knighted Jedi once, the night of the ball, but already she felt a kinship with the man. There were qualities in him that she recognized, little idiosyncrasies that reminded her of the connection he shared with another Jedi she knew.

“I suppose I have you to thank for bringing Obi-Wan back,” she said, straightening into her Duchess persona now that she’d recovered from the uncomfortable situation with Merrik.

Anakin raised his hands and chuckled a bit. “Hey, I’m just the pilot, he hasn’t said anything to me about what happened.”

Satine raised her eyebrows at that. Obi-Wan really kept to himself, didn’t he, if not even his former Padawan knew what was going on in that ridiculous brain of his. She sighed.

“So, there’s really nothing going on between you and the Senator?” Anakin asked suddenly, and Satine turned to give him an incredulous look.

“Merrik? Heavens, no.”

The Knight gave a satisfied nod. “Good. You’re much too independent, I can tell. You need someone that understands that.”

Skywalker would know all about that, wouldn’t he, if what she suspected about the man and that Senator Amidala was true.

She smiled softly. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

They settled back into silence for a few moments, listening to the distant hum of traffic. Anakin’s eyes drifted out over the garden, and Satine’s followed. They both knew who they were looking for.

He was still there, sitting peacefully among the topiaries and fountains, the perfect picture of contentment.

Anakin spoke again, his voice serious, but warm. “Somewhere out there, I think there’s a man like that for you. A man who…” he paused, a wide grin spreading across his face. “A man who will never be on the Jedi Council,” he finished with a laugh.

Satine’s eyes snapped back to Anakin’s as if to judge if he were joking or not. When she saw nothing but complete sincerity and delight, her disbelieving gaze returned to the Jedi below. Her heart was aflutter, and this time she didn’t even try to suppress the hopeful smile that lit up her face.

Anakin gave a knowing look, his smile shifting into one of quiet contentment. “I knew it,” he said in a whisper, whether to himself or to her, she couldn’t say. “I’ll leave you to it, then.” He bowed, an extra bounce in his step as he began to inch his way out the door. “Tell Obi-Wan that if he ever needs anything, just give me a call.”

Before Satine could even find the words to properly thank him, he was gone.

-.-.-

The garden really was a nice escape from the palace. If Obi-Wan was being honest, he hadn’t even considered that Tal Merrik might still be a guest in Sundari when he returned. It made for a less than ideal environment for what he wanted to say to Satine, the words for which he had been rehearsing in his head the entire ride over here.

As he sat on a bench under a lovely flourishing tree, he considered whether he had avoided a big mistake by not telling her how he felt after all. Perhaps it was not meant to be. Force, he wished Qui-Gon had a few wise words for him now. It made so much more sense when he explained everything. Now he was stuck wondering if he’d misinterpreted the Force’s calling.

He was moments away from going to find Anakin when a melodic voice called out, “Hello there,” from behind him. He turned to see Satine standing beneath the tree with a kind smile on her face. “I hoped I might find you here,” she said.

Obi-Wan stood from the bench at once, ever the gentleman. “Did you need something, Duchess?”

“No, no not at all,” Satine waved him off. “Do you mind if I sit?” she asked, nodding to the bench.

The Jedi Master shook his head, gesturing for her to take a seat. Once she was seated, he sat down beside her and waited for her to speak.

“I… wanted to ask you,” Satine began, nervously running a hand through her hair. “Why did you really go back to the Jedi Temple? The truth, this time. And—and why did you return?”

Obi-Wan fixed his gaze on some point far, far away.

“I—I was given this mission by the Council, and I came back to fulfill it,” he explained simply, jaw set firm.

“Yes, you Jedi never do anything by halves,” Satine mused. “Is that all?”

“I did miss the children,” he added after a moment.

Satine’s eyes rested on his face now, watching every imperceptible movement for some sign of what was going on in his deeply complicated mind.

“Only the children?”

Obi-Wan turned suddenly, and she saw a flash of cautious hope behind his eyes as he looked seriously at her. “Why do you ask, Satine?”

The silver-tongued Jedi had turned her own question back on her, and she found herself ill-prepared with a response. Unable to sit still, she stood and began to pace beneath the tree. “Oh, I was only hoping that you’d—perhaps you might—”

“Yes?” His patient voice cut through her ramblings, drawing her back to him. At some point he had stood from his spot and come closer, and now his nearness was beginning to do funny things to her brain.

“Well, nothing was the same when you were away… and it will be all wrong again if you leave… I was just hoping—" Obi-Wan’s gaze met hers, and for the life of her she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If he would just show some emotion, it would help her immensely. When his eyes flitted away from hers, her heart sank. Maybe it wasn’t as easy as Anakin had made it sound. “Unless, I understand, you are needed back on Coruscant. The Republic needs its General, you have Anakin… I understand if you can’t—the Jedi Council—"

“There won’t be a Jedi Council,” Obi-Wan broke in, in a tone that was so matter of fact that Satine was sure she had heard wrong. “Not for me.”

“No Council? I don’t—"

“Well, I’m preparing to leave the Order, you see.”

The silence that followed, paired with the small half-smile that had broken across his face, nearly swallowed her whole.

“You…” she could barely stand to hope, “You are?” Her eyes desperately searched his, but she found nothing but truth in them.

“Yes,” he said, his soft gaze turning to glance around at their surroundings. He plucked a small white bloom off a low hanging branch of the tree, twirling it between his fingers. “Well, you can’t exactly… be a Jedi,” he mused, “when you’re madly in love with someone…” The space between them grew ever smaller, and he lifted her hand into his own. “Can you?”

Satine shook her head slowly, feeling as if she were in a dream. Surely this couldn’t be happening. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

Obi-Wan leaned in closer, brushing his fingers gently over her chin and up her cheekbone. Tilting his head forward, he rested his forehead against hers, imploring eyes meeting hers from beneath thick eyelashes.

His plea came as a desperate whisper against her lips. “Say the word, Satine.”

She closed her eyes and brought her hand up to cover the one that now cupped her cheek. Her other hand clutched tightly to his, trapped between their beating hearts. One beat. Two beats.

“Stay,” she breathed, the words leaving her lips with a great wave of relief the way she wished they had all those years ago.

And with that, he drew her into a kiss, dropping her hand so he could press her closer to him. His arm wrapped around her lower back, fingers grazing over the fine fabric of her dress, soft and silky beneath his fingertips. Satine rested her hand on his jaw, and she smiled into the kiss at the sensation of his beard under her thumb.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as opposed as she’d initially thought to the beard.

When they broke apart, Obi-Wan smiled softly and pulled her close, wrapping her in an embrace. She held him tight, and he nuzzled into her hair. It smelled of lilies, just like he remembered.

Her fingers tangled in the short hair at the back of his neck where once there had been a Padawan braid. So much had changed in the time they’d been apart. But at the same time, so little. Contentment radiated off him, and he didn’t seem likely to let go any time soon.

“Master Yoda always said, when the Force closes a hatch, it opens a viewport,” Obi-Wan mumbled into her shoulder.

Satine pulled him back, her hands framing his bearded face as she smiled up at him fondly. “What else does Master Yoda say?” she asked, amusement lacing her voice.

Despite her teasing tone, he answered back honestly. “He says you must always follow the will of the Force.”

Satine studied his face again. “Is that why you came back? To find the will of the Force?” Obi-Wan nodded, his hands resting on her elbows now to keep her close to him. “And have you found it, Master Jedi?” The softness of her voice sent a pang through his chest.

“I think I have,” he said, “I know I have.”

Tears pooled in Satine’s eyes. Her heart felt as light as a feather, the weight of some past loss now at last lifted. She was free—they both were. Free to say the things they had always wanted to, to speak aloud the words they’d only ever whispered under the cover of night, far away from Qui-Gon’s listening ears.

“I love you, my dear Obi-Wan,” she spoke, pulling him down to her. He bowed his head, allowing her to pepper him with kisses all the way from his jaw, to his cheeks, and up to his forehead.

As far as he was concerned, this was eternal bliss. As she showered him with affection, he leaned into her touch and wondered aloud, “What did I do to deserve this?”

He had been through so much. From a young age, he had seen and experienced things that most children were carefully sheltered from. He had been sent to help, of course—that was his purpose in life—but that didn’t take away the trauma that Obi-Wan was now realizing he had suffered. He would always be grateful for his time with the Jedi, would always look back on it with fondness, but he could no longer say everything they did was inscrutable. This war was enough proof of that.

And Satine. How much had she gone through, being forced away from her home planet by a deadly Civil War? Being chased by bounty hunters and terrorists, only to be thrust into rule at such a young age upon her return? She led an unprecedented Council of Neutral Systems in the heat of a Galactic War the likes of which had never been seen before, all while dealing with dissenters on her own planet as well.

They had both faced impossible circumstances, yet their paths had somehow led them here. And Obi-Wan would thank the Force every day for that beautiful, amazing, unbelievable fact.

Her thoughts seemed to be along the same lines as his. She pressed her head into the crook of his neck, arms tightly wrapped around his shoulders as she basked in the love she felt practically radiating off him.

“We were barely more than children when we met, Obi,” she whispered, entranced by the comforting circles he traced up and down her back.

He smiled, leaning back to listen to her properly. She always liked that, how he truly listened when she talked, possessing a genuine interest in what she had to say. His undivided attention made her feel like nothing else mattered but the two of them, all the rest of the world melting away.

She continued. “Somehow, even through the terror and the misery, something must have gone right, I suppose. For us to end up here together.” Grabbing her hands, he brought them to his lips. “And for you to love me as you do, even if perhaps you shouldn’t,” she finished with a fluttering laugh.

Obi-Wan beamed at her.

“Do you know when I first started loving you?” he asked, looking more free than he ever had before. She awaited his answer with a smile. “That time in the cave when you refused to wear shoes at night and got stung on your foot while you were asleep.”

The Jedi—her Jedi—broke into giggles as he recalled the occasion, his cheeks turning pink beneath that auburn beard of his.

“What?” she exclaimed, laughing with him.

“I had to carry you all the way up the mountain on my back the next day,” he finished, barely able to get the words out. It certainly hadn’t been one of her finer moments, she remembered. She hated admitting when he was right, and this was one of those few times.

“I knew the first time you blew up at me for complaining about the lack of amenities on one of those forsaken planets.” She smiled at the memory fondly. She had been so young back then. Relatively naïve. When they were together, it didn’t take long to push each other to their limits. That was, after all, part of the fun. He didn’t see her as some princess, walking on eggshells around her as others did. He made his opinions known, just as she did in return.

How, how, had they loved each other for so long, and done nothing about it?

“Oh, my dear, I’ve always loved you,” Obi-Wan said, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face with the gentlest of touches. His eyes shimmered in the dim glow of the city.

Satine smiled up at him and made her own vow. “And I always will.”

Draping her arms around his neck, she brought her lips to his once more, kissing him deeply.

“Obi-Wan,” she whispered into the kiss, “Is there anyone I need to go to to ask permission to marry you? The Jedi Council?”

Obi-Wan pulled back to look into her eyes in surprise and with complete, unrepentant joy.

“Darling, the Council couldn’t stop me from marrying you if they tried,” he said with a grin. “Though perhaps we should ask—”

“The children?” she finished.

He nodded.

“And particularly Korkie,” he said, a knowing—yet content—look in his eye. “I should think he’d like a say in his parents finally tying the knot.”

Satine was momentarily speechless. “You know,” she stated, the slight waver in her voice betraying her nervousness that this secret had evidently come out.

“I had an inkling,” Obi-Wan explained. “But don’t you worry, my dear. There will be plenty of time to discuss later. For now, I’m just so happy, nothing could ever take away from that. And he’s truly a remarkable young man. I am so proud of you both.”

She wrapped her arms around him again, words caught behind a lump in her throat as she adjusted to this new reality where there were no more secrets between them. It was equal parts relieving and guilt-inducing.

“He doesn’t know,” she admitted with a slight frown.

“Then we’ll tell him together,” Obi-Wan promised, his eyes meeting hers with sincerity and an overabundance of love. How he was able to be so gracious to her, she didn’t know. But she was thankful for this, for them.

This was it. The Force had led them to this moment, and Obi-Wan knew in his very soul that it was the right path for him. His heart felt like it might burst with happiness, and Satine—he knew—felt the same.

The night grew cold, and the palace lights slowly flickered out, but they remained there like that for some time, wrapped in each other’s loving embrace.

-.-.-

Anakin watched from the balcony, a smirk plastered on his face as he observed the couple down below in the garden.

His eyebrows lifted, impressed by what he saw. “Not bad, old man,” he muttered, watching as the figures engaged in a passionate kiss.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his comm device and flicked it on, dialing the frequency he knew best. It wasn’t long before she picked up.

“Padmé,” he spoke into the comm. “You owe me 20 credits.”

-.-.-

#obitine #obitine fanfic #my fanfiction #obi-wan kenobi #satine kryze #korkie kryze #sound of music au #the sound of mandalore #mandalore #star wars #star wars fanfic #star wars: tcw #tcw fanfic #tal merrik #chapter 13 #anakin skywalker

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atlfics · 7 months ago

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On the Other Side of the World- All Time Low Fanfiction

Alex gets a bad bout of food poisoning while on tour in a different country. Word Count: 7906

More notes at the end.

“Jack, babe, wake up,” Alex softly said, gently shaking Jack until his eyes fluttered open.

Jack blankly stared at Alex for a few seconds, trying to get his bearings from having just woken up after a particularly long nap. As he blinked away his sleepiness, hrie started to remember where he was and what was going on; he was in bed in a hotel room across the world from home with his boyfriend. They were playing a show that evening, and Alex had mentioned wanting to get food somewhere before going to the venue. After rubbing his eyes, Jack turned to face Alex, who was laying next to him with a soft smile.

“What time is it?” Jack finally asked, his voice slightly raspy.

“It’s just after two, we have to be at the venue by three thirty. I still wanted to get something to eat, if that’s cool with you,” Alex replied, as he laid down on his side to be right next to Jack.

“Sure, that sounds good to me. Are Rian and Zack coming, too?”

“Nah, Rian is on the phone with his fiancée, and Zack is doing some workout in the hotel gym downstairs. They talked about eating somewhere together after the show, though,”

“That sounds good to me. Honestly, I’m glad it’ll just be the two of us, we haven’t had a date in quite a while; I forgot how hard it is to do that on tour,” Jack continued, making Alex laugh.

“True, it’s hard to find time to sneak away, especially when everyone wants to do things as a group. I’m excited to go somewhere with just you,” Alex replied, smiling as he pulled Jack close for a hug.

Jack happily hugged Alex back, then placed a kiss on Alex’s forehead. They stayed like this for a moment, until Alex’s stomach rumbled in hunger, causing both of them to laugh as they pulled apart from each other.

“You must be really hungry!” Jack exclaimed, continuing to laugh as he slowly sat up and stretched.

“All I’ve had today is coffee and an orange. There wasn’t a whole lot that looked good at breakfast this morning,” Alex replied, a disgusted look appearing on his face as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Hey, it wasn’t that bad! My eggs were okay, and so was the toast,”

“I don’t know, those eggs looked a bit runny, if you ask me,”

“Well, it was a continental breakfast, those aren’t always the best. Since you’re the one who’s really hungry, you can decide where we go, if you want,” Jack suggested, sliding his shoes on before standing up.

“I don’t really know what restaurants are good around here, it’s been so many years since we last came here. I was kind of thinking we could get street food; I saw a bunch of tables and tents right down the street,” Alex continued, putting his wallet and phone into his pockets, before walking over to the dresser to fix his hair.

“Let’s do that, street food is awesome! I’m not super hungry, so I probably won’t get as much as you do, but I’ll still have something. Do you want to just Uber to the venue from there?”

“Yeah, I think that makes the most sense. I’m ready to leave whenever you are,”

“I think I’m ready, too,” Jack replied, looking at himself in the mirror by the door.

“Is that what you’re wearing onstage later?” Alex asked, trying to contain a laugh.

“Yeah, why? Is there something wrong with it?”

Jack looked at himself again, confused by Alex’s building laughter.

“No, you’ve just worn that same shirt and pair of jeans a lot on this tour so far. All of our pictures are going to look like they came from the same night,”

“I’ve done that the past few tours now, why would this one be any different?”

“Fair enough, I guess I didn’t think of it like that. It doesn’t matter what you wear, though, you look great in anything that you wear,”

A small blush crept up on Jack’s face as Alex walked over to him, and wrapped him into another hug. Jack gladly returned this hug, like the one from earlier, and smiled as Alex kissed him. They’d done this seemingly a thousand times by now, but it never grew old to Jack.

“The same is true for you, too. You’re being really sappy and sweet today, like, more than usual,” Jack eventually said, when they finally pulled apart.

“Yeah, I guess I am. I know we can act like a couple around Rian and Zack, but it feels more special when it’s just the two of us. Like, we can really be ourselves, y’know?”

“I get it, I’ve always felt that way, too. Hopefully we’ll have some time to ourselves after the show, too,” Jack suggestively continued, making a smirk appear on Alex’s face.

“Oh, we can definitely arrange to have some alone time tonight,” Alex replied, before putting his hand on Jack’s cheek and pulling him for one last kiss.

“I love you so much,” Jack said, once they finally pulled apart.

“I love you, too. Let’s go before this keeps going; I love you, but I’m too hungry right now,” Alex replied, as they both started to laugh.

“Fair enough, we can just make up for lost time later. We can walk to the strip with the street food, right?”

“Yeah, it’s just a few minutes away. I’m ready if you are!”

“I am, too. Let’s head out,”

Alex led Jack out of the hotel room, and down the hallway to the elevator. As they rode down to the first floor, Jack texted in the band group chat, letting the rest of the band know that they would meet up at the venue later. Once they walked out of the lobby, they started down the street to where the street food market was. As they walked, they both looked around, taking in the sights of the country they were in.

Eventually, they made it to the strip where the food vendors were; there were about two dozen different tents going up both sides of the street with tables in the middle. Most of the tents had signs advertising what food was available, and several had long lines of people waiting to place their orders. Alex looked around a bit, quickly noticing a tent that had different types of noodles and fried rice.

“I think I want some noodles, do you want to go to that tent?” Alex asked, pointing to the tent that had a large sign with several different types of noodles on it.

“Sure, we can do that. I might just get an egg roll or something, I don’t think I want a full meal,” Jack replied, following Alex over to the tent.

The line moved quite a bit faster than either of them had expected, much to their delight. When they got to the cashier, Alex ordered seafood lo mien for himself, and two vegetable egg rolls for Jack. After paying, they received their food in white takeout boxes, and walked over to an empty table.

“I can’t believe that we’re at this huge strip with so much authentic food, and the only thing you want are two egg rolls,” Alex stated, opening his box of noodles.

“It all looks good, I’m just not that hungry. I think that long nap messed up my whole system,” Jack replied, taking a bite of his egg roll.

“Well, suit yourself, I’m excited for these noodles! They look so good, I’m so happy that they had seafood, I prefer that over chicken or pork in these kinds of dishes,”

“Good, I’m happy for you. I haven’t seen you get so excited over food like this in a long time,”

“It’s not everyday that we get to eat this kind of food! We need to tour on this side of the world more often,”

Alex finally took a bite of his food, initially smiling, but quickly swapping for a confused look. Jack quickly noticed this, and felt equally confused by Alex’s reaction.

“Is something wrong? You went from looking super happy to super confused almost instantly,” Jack pointed out.

“No, it just tasted a little different than I expected. Not in, like, a bad way, just unexpected. It’s really good, though,” Alex replied, taking another bite of his meal.

“Okay, as long as you’re sure,”

Alex gave a quick thumbs up, then continued to eat his lunch. While Alex ate, he and Jack didn’t speak much, Alex was too focused on his meal, and Jack didn’t want to interrupt him. Eventually, Alex finished his entire portion, and looked over to Jack.

“Was it good?” Jack asked, laughing at how quickly Alex had cleared his plate.

“Very good. It tasted a little different than I expected, but it was good! I’m glad we came here, this was fun, and I’m glad we had some time to ourselves,” Alex replied, making Jack smile.

“I am, too. Hey, we should probably head over to the venue. Do you want to get the Uber, or do you want me to?”

“Would you do it? I think I got the last one,”

“Good point. Throw away the trash, and I’ll get it ordered,”

Alex gathered up the trash, then walked it over to a trashcan by the tent that the food had come from. When he walked back over to the table, he saw Jack ordering the Uber on his phone.

“Okay, the Uber will be here in about five minutes, but I put it to pick us up at the end of the street, since a car can’t really get down here, so we should start walking,”

Jack stood up from his seat, and took Alex’s hand. They started up the street, looking around at all the different booths as they walked. Eventually, they made it to the end of the street, where their Uber driver pulled up at the same time. Jack opened the car door, and gestured for Alex to get in first.

“Uber for Jack?” The driver asked, looking at Jack and Alex in the rearview mirror.

“Yep, thanks for getting here so fast,” Jack replied, putting on his seatbelt.

“No problem. We’ll be at your destination in about fifteen minutes,”

The driver began to drive away, and Alex put his hand into Jack’s. Jack gripped Alex’s hand tighter, as he looked over and smiled at his boyfriend.

“Do you think Rian and Zack will already be at the venue?” Alex eventually asked.

“I imagine so, especially since we’ll basically be getting there right on time,” Jack replied, looking at the time on his phone.

“Good point, I guess we’ll start right into soundcheck when we get there, assuming everything is all set up,”

“Yeah, probably so. What do you want to do until the meet and greet with the fans?”

“I haven’t thought about that yet, maybe just relax?” Jack suggested, trying his hardest to stifle yawn.

“We can, if you want to. You must be really tired, especially considering you took that long nap earlier,” Alex pointed out.

“It’s the jet lag, I don’t know how you adjust so quickly when we go to other countries,”

“I don’t either, to be honest. I mean, I don’t always get a lot of sleep as it is, I guess my body is just kind of used to not running on a full night of sleep,”

“Makes sense,”

For the rest of the Uber ride, Jack and Alex stayed silent, looking out their windows and taking in the sights. It had been several years since they’d been to this country, so it was interesting to see what had stayed the same, and what had changed.

Eventually, the driver pulled up to the front entrance of the venue. After thanking the driver, Alex and Jack got out of the car and went inside. They walked into the main room, and saw Rian and Zack already in their places onstage. Zack was tuning his bass, while Rian played some beats on his practice pad.

“Hey guys, did you have a nice lunch?” Zack asked, looking up from his bass.

“Yeah, we did! Well, I did, Jack just had a tiny egg roll,” Alex replied, as he and Jack walked up the steps to the stage.

“Damn, that’s all you had, Jack? Are you going to be okay until the end of the show?” Rian asked, as Jack picked up his guitar.

“I’ll be okay, I don’t have a huge appetite today. I’m just glad that Alex got to have his authentic street food like he wanted,” Jack continued, as he and Alex took their places onstage.

“I’m glad you guys had fun. Are you ready to get into soundcheck? They’re going to start letting the fans in for meet and greet in about an hour, so we need to get going,” Rian pointed out, looking at the time on his watch.

“Today’s flying by! Yeah, I’m ready. Count off when you are, Rian,” Alex replied, grabbing a guitar pick from his mic stand.

“Alright, one, two, three!” Rian counted, as they all started to soundcheck their first song.

Typically, their soundcheck lasted anywhere from thirty to forty minutes. They normally played at least some of every song, just enough to hear how it would sound in the arena, and to figure out if anything was off. Alex usually enjoyed soundcheck quite a bit, it reminded him of the early days of the band, back when the four of them would rotate basements for practice or jam sessions. It helped him remember why he loved what he did so much, especially on the days when he was burnt out from the tour life.

Soundcheck was going well, everyone’s instruments sounded good, and they were having fun, up until the second to last song. Alex felt an uncomfortable feeling form quickly in his stomach, causing him to shut his eyes and grimace. He slowly stopped playing his part of the song they were rehearsing as the pain intensified, which Jack quickly picked up on. Jack looked over to Alex to see what was going on, and immediately stopped when he saw the look of discomfort on Alex’s face.

“Hey, Alex, are you okay?” Jack asked, as Rian and Zack stopped playing, looking equally as concerned when they caught a glimpse of Alex.

“Um, I think so, my stomach just started to feel a bit off. I think I’m just a bit full, but I’m okay. Sorry to make us stop mid song like that, but I’ll be fine. Let’s start into our last song,” Alex replied, clearing his throat after an uncomfortable swallow.

“Okay, sure, let’s do it,” Rian replied, before cautiously counting off.

They began to play Dear Maria, which started out fine. When they did soundcheck, this was typically the only song that they played in full. It was a fun way to wrap soundcheck together before the craziness of a show really started. When they got to the bridge of the song, Alex’s stomach started to cramp up even more, making him feel incredibly nauseous. He wanted to try to push through to the end of the song, they were so close to being done, and he was sure that he was just feeling a bit bloated from the large portion of food he’d just had.

A few seconds later, Alex realized that he would not be able to make it through the rest of the song, and that he needed to find a bathroom, and fast. He stopped playing and gently set his guitar on the ground before quickly making his way backstage, leaving his bandmates to helplessly stare at one another.

“Well, that’s not good,” Zack stated, as everyone silenced their instruments.

“No, it isn’t. When we were eating, he said that his food tasted a bit different than he expected it to, but he didn’t think that there was anything wrong with it. He got seafood noodles, maybe some of it was undercooked,” Jack pointed out, his concern for his boyfriend quickly growing.

“He got seafood at a street food tent? The people who run those don’t have to follow, like, certain regulations that normal restaurants do; I bet the meat was undercooked,” Rian continued, standing up behind his drum kit.

“His noodles had a lot of seafood in them, I think this is going to be really bad,” Jack said, sighing as his worry continued to grow.

“Should we go and try to find him? Maybe he’ll just feel really shitty for a little bit, but then feel better in an hour or so,” Zack stated, hoping for the best.

“I doubt he’ll feel better that fast if he’s really got food poisoning; he’s going to feel miserable at least for the rest of the night. I hope he’ll still be able to do the show,” Rian continued, as he and Zack started to follow Jack into the backstage area.

They decided to check the green room first, assuming Alex would go to the bathroom attached to it for the most privacy. As they walked into the green room, they heard the sound of muffled coughing coming from behind a closed door in the left corner of the room. Rian and Zack looked over to Jack, mirroring his look of concern. Jack walked over to the door, leaning up against it, before lightly knocking on it once Alex’s coughing had subsided.

“Hey, Alex, it’s me, the other guys are in here, too. Are you okay?” Jack gently asked, hearing a groan from Alex on the other side of the door.

“Um, not really, I suddenly started feeling terrible when we were onstage. I got sick, but my stomach is still killing me,” Alex weakly replied.

“Well, do you want to come out here and lay on the couch to get some rest? It’ll be better than sitting on that dirty floor,”

“I don’t know if I’m done in here,”

“Well, that’s okay, you can always go back in, or we can get you a trashcan or something. You really should come out here, though,”

After a few seconds, Jack heard a flush before hearing the sink turn on. Once the sink was turned back off, Jack watched the doorknob slowly turn, before the door opened. Alex shakily stumbled out of the bathroom, his hand was on his stomach and his face was pale, aside from the flush on his cheeks. Jack could see beads of sweat on Alex’s forehead, only causing his concern to increase again.

“Geez, you don’t look good,” Jack stated, taking in Alex’s jarringly different appearance.

“Wow, thanks,” Alex replied, using his free hand to lean against the bathroom door frame.

“Sorry, you know I didn’t mean it like that,”

Jack put an arm around Alex and slowly guided him over to the couch, and helped him sit down. Rian and Zack walked over to the couch, and shared a look of concern over Alex’s appearance.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt this sick in my life,” Alex muttered, wrapping both arms around his stomach as he slowly leaned his head back, resting it on the back of the couch.

Jack found an empty trashcan by the door, and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. He set both things on the coffee table, then gently took a seat next to his boyfriend, not wanting to upset his stomach more by making the couch suddenly move.

“Do you think we should cancel the show?” Zack finally asked, taking a seat on the arm of the couch.

“No, I don’t want to do that. I’m sure that this will pass by the time we’re supposed to go onstage,” Alex replied, a serious look quickly taking over his face.

“Are you sure, babe? You just said you’ve never felt this bad in your life,” Jack reminded, putting a supportive hand on Alex’s leg.

“I know, but we haven’t played here in so long, these fans have waited so many years for us to come here, I don’t want to be the reason they have to wait even longer,” Alex continued, determination in his voice.

“Heath comes first, Alex; if we have to reschedule, then we have to reschedule,” Rian tried, as Alex began to shake his head.

“No, I’ll be okay, even if we can only do half of our set, that’s still better than nothing,” Alex replied, grimacing as he felt another stomach cramp.

“Well, if you really want to play, I think we need to get you some medicine or something so you don’t feel as terrible later. I don’t think you could stand for a whole half hour even at this point,” Zack stated, as Alex sighed in defeat.

“I think you guys might be right, some medicine would probably really help me feel at least a little better. Maybe some ibuprofen and some type of stomach medicine?”

“We can run to the nearest store and see what we can find. Jack, why don’t you stay here with Alex and make sure he stays alive until we get back,” Rian said, as he and Zack stood up from their seats.

“Thank you guys, I appreciate it,” Alex said, doing his best to force a smile for his friends.

“No problem, man. We’ll be back soon, text if you need anything else,” Zack said, before following Rian out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Jack scooted closer to Alex and wrapped his arm around Alex’s shoulder, as Alex lowered his head onto Jack’s shoulder. Alex still had both arms wrapped around his stomach, he looked very stiff and uncomfortable. Jack placed a kiss on Alex’s forehead, not minding that there was still some sweat on it.

“I’m sorry you feel so awful, I hate seeing you like this,” Jack said, bringing his hand up to gently stroke Alex’s hair.

“I hate feeling like this. I guess there really was something wrong with those noodles I ate earlier. I thought the seasoning was just different, I didn’t think anything was actually undercooked,” Alex replied, leaning more into Jack.

“Hopefully you’re right, and this will mostly pass by the time we go onstage. I don’t like it when you have to perform when you’re under the weather, it puts so much strain on your body. Hey, why don’t you try drinking some of the water I got for you? If you start to get dehydrated, you’ll just feel even worse, and we might have to go to the emergency room,” Jack warned, carefully leaning without disrupting Alex to grab the bottle of water on the coffee table.

“That’s a good point, but I don’t know if I can keep anything down right now,”

“Just try taking some small sips for now. If you can tolerate it, then maybe try to drink more,”

With Jack’s help, Alex reluctantly sat up, and took the opened water bottle from Jack. He cautiously drank two very small sips, then handed the bottle back to Jack. Alex slowly sank back down into the couch, leaning on Jack again, as he wrapped his arms back around his stomach and shut his eyes.

“You’re probably going to have to drink more than that, y’know. We want you to stay hydrated,” Jack eventually said; even though Alex’s eyes were shut, he still rolled them back into his head.

“I know, I just don’t think I can right now. I really don’t want to get sick again, and if I drink any more, I know I will. Even just that little bit is making me feel terrible,” Alex replied, feeling the nausea start to build back up in his stomach.

“Well, go as slow as you need to. If you think you actually need to get sick again, I brought you a trashcan, or I can help you into the bathroom,” Jack offered, screwing the top back on to Alex’s water bottle.

Alex silently sat next to Jack, doing his best to will the nausea away. He kept his mouth tightly shut, afraid that if he opened it, he would get sick again. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore, so he quickly bolted up and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Jack stayed on the couch, figuring that Alex wanted some privacy. As he heard his boyfriend get sick on the other side of the door, he sighed; he was in for a long afternoon.

———— 

“Alex, baby, are you sure that you want to go on? You can barely stand,” Jack asked, slowly helping Alex to his feet in the green room.

All Time Low were due onstage in five minutes, and Jack was unsure how Alex was going to make it through just one song, much less an entire set. Alex hadn’t been able to keep anything down the entire afternoon, which made Jack incredibly nervous. Between the meet and greet and now, Jack had tried several times to get Alex to agree to canceling the show, but Alex refused. So, despite Jack and the rest of the band’s pleading, the show was going on as planned.

“Yes, I’m sure. I might not be able to do the full set, but I can probably at least do half of it. These fans have waited years to see us perform, and I’m not going to let them down,” Alex replied, putting a hand to his stomach as he tried to get rid of the dizzy feeling that standing up had caused hm to feel.

“I know that you really want to give the fans a great show, but your health comes first, I really think-“

“Jack, I’ll be okay, let’s just go out to the stage entrance,”

Letting out a defeated sigh, Jack conceded. He led Alex out of the green room, and over to the stage entrance. When Rian and Zack saw Alex, concerned looks took over their faces, matching the one Jack had. A tech handed Alex his guitar, and Alex gave a small smile as in thanks.

“Alex, if you start feeling really bad, just tell us and we can figure out what to do. If you need to stop, you can stop,” Rian reminded, trying to hide the worry in his voice.

“I will, don’t worry. I really want to make this work. Hey, I think it’s time we go on,” Alex replied, as their intro video came to an end.

Hesitantly, Jack led his bandmates as they took the stage, immediately starting into their first song. As they played, Jack could tell that Alex was struggling, but he was doing a fairly good job at hiding it. His voice sounded like it normally did, and his guitar playing was unaffected. This led Jack to believe that Alex might have actually been right, he might actually be able to push through, and get through at least the majority of the show.

Jack’s confidence in the situation was quickly shot, though, when Alex quickly ran offstage once they’d played their fourth song on the setlist. He looked to Rian and Zack, feeling a slight sense of panic as he quickly tried to come up with something to tell the fans.

“Hey, guys, Alex hasn’t been feeling great today, which is why he just ran offstage. I think he’ll be back, but in the meantime, I think we should do a Blink cover! What do you think, boys?” Jack asked, earning cheers from the audience.

Jack immediately started playing the riff to Dammit, immediately feeling relieved when he heard Zack start to sing the lyrics. As they played the song, Jack kept looking side stage, hoping to see Alex standing there. Towards the end of the song, Alex had finally made his way to the monitor area, his hand on his stomach just like earlier. Once the song had ended, he took a deep breath and put on the biggest smile he could muster, before walking back to his spot onstage.

“Hey guys, I think Jack already talked about this, but I suddenly got really sick earlier today, and I still am now. I want to play as many songs as we can, and give you all the best show possible. Thank you for bearing with me, and apologies in advance if we have to call it early tonight,” Alex said, earning cheers from the audience.

“Well, I do know, like, three more Blink songs, so we’ll make it work!” Jack exclaimed, getting some laughter from the crowd.

As they started into their next song, Jack looked over to Alex, and could tell that his boyfriend felt disappointed in himself. Jack hated that Alex was so upset with himself, he was doing a great job, considering the circumstances. They played two more songs, before Alex bolted offstage again, looking much worse than the first time.

To buy some time, Jack started to play All The Small Things, hoping that Alex would be able to come back onstage like before. Once the song was over, Jack looked over to the monitors, and saw nervous looks on all the faces of their crew members.

“I’ll be back, I’m going to check on Alex. Hang out with Rian and Zack for a minute!” Jack exclaimed, before making his way offstage.

Alex was sitting on a chair right past the monitor area on Jack’s side of the stage, holding a trashcan with one hand, and his stomach with the other. He had his head against the brick wall with his eyes tightly shut. His face was very pale, and he was now dripping sweat. Jack took a deep breath, then kneeled down to Alex’s level, and placed a hand on Alex’s leg to get his attention.

“Hey, baby, how’re you feeling?” Jack gently asked, as Alex looked over to him.

“I’ve been better, to be honest. I don’t think I can go back out there tonight,” Alex weakly said, hugging himself tighter.

“I don’t think you should go back out, and that’s totally okay. I do think you need medical attention, though. You haven’t kept anything down all day, I really don’t want you to get super dehydrated,”

“One of our crew members called an ambulance as soon as I came back here, it’s on the way now. I want them to wait until you three finish the show, though. I want you to be with me if I have to be at the hospital,”

“Alex, no, you need to go as soon as you get loaded in. I’m going to tell Rian and Zack what’s going on, and we’ll play two or three more songs, just to give the crowd some closure. As soon as we’re done, I’m going to run off that stage, and get to where you are to be with you. Do you know what hospital they’re going to take you to?”

“Northwestern, it’s about ten minutes away from here. Are you sure that I can’t wait for you?” Alex asked, a sad and scared expression forming on his face.

Jack was pretty sure that he could see the beginnings of tears form in Alex’s eyes; a sign that Alex felt really terrible. The only times Jack had seen Alex get suddenly emotional like this were when he was either really drunk, or really under the weather. He moved to Alex’s side, and squatted against the wall to put a hand around Alex’s shoulder.

“I’m sure, you need to get treated as soon as possible. I’ll be right behind you; do you really think I’d make you stay at a random hospital in a foreign country by yourself for an extended period of time, while you’re this out of it? If you end up having to stay overnight, I’ll stay with you the entire time, until you’re discharged, I promise,” Jack assured, placing a kiss on Alex’s warm cheek, before using his thumb to wipe away the couple of tears that had spilled from Alex’s eyes.

“Normally, I’d say that you don’t have to force yourself to spend the whole night with me in a cramped hospital room, but I’d really appreciate that. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this terrible, and I really don’t want to be alone,”

“Well, you won’t be, I promise. I’m going to get back onstage so we can get through a couple more songs to close everything out, but I’ll be at the hospital as soon as I can be. I’ll see you soon, I love you,”

“I love you, too,”

Jack kissed Alex’s cheek one last time, then apprehensively walked back onstage. He hated to leave Alex like this, even if it was just going to be for a little bit, but he knew that Alex would want them to give the show a proper close for the fans. When he got back to his spot onstage, the crowd started to cheer.

“Hey everyone, unfortunately, Alex will not be returning tonight, he’s feeling pretty terrible. The three of us will play a couple more songs, but we’re going to have to call it early. We’re so sorry, but I promise that we’ll make it up to you all!” Jack stated, nervous to hear the crowd’s reaction.

The audience began to chant ‘Feel better, Alex’, much to Jack’s relief. Normally, the fans were very supportive when a show had to end abruptly like this, but there was always the risk of upsetting the whole crowd, and getting a very negative reaction. Jack was happy to hear this, because he knew that Alex could hear it from backstage; Jack hoped that this brought his boyfriend some relief.

The band started into their second to last song, with Jack and Zack both singing the vocals, with plenty of help from the crowd. Jack felt a little uncomfortable; his microphone was normally turned off, so the audience couldn’t hear him when he sang along off key to the songs, so singing with the intent to be heard was a bit daunting.

“Alright, this next song is going to be our last for tonight. Like I said, we’re so sorry, Alex is sorry, too, but we’ll be back! Thank you guys for being such a great crowd, and for helping us sing along!”

The band began to play Dear Maria, luckily getting some help from the crowd again. As they played, Jack couldn’t help but anxiously count down until the end of the song, desperately wanting to bolt out of the arena and to where Alex was. He hated that Alex had to go alone, he wanted to be there for his boyfriend so badly. Jack knew that there wasn’t much else that could be done, he just had to get through one last song. Once the song ended, the three of them quickly waved to the crowd, before exiting the stage.

“Where’s Alex?” Rian asked, looking around for Alex.

“He’s at Northwestern Hospital, it’s about ten minutes away from here. When I came back here to check on him, our crew had called an ambulance for him, so I bet he’s already there,” Jack replied, feeling a sense of panic start to arise in himself again.

“Do you want to go ahead and go over there? Rian and I can go back to the hotel and get some of your all’s things; I assume that if Alex has to stay overnight, that you’ll be staying with him?” Zack proposed.

“Yeah, I’m going to stay over with him if he has to stay. I think I’m going to take you up on that offer, so I can get over there. Can you grab our phone chargers, some comfortable clothing for me, and some hygiene products? When I get there, I’ll text the room number that he’s in,” Jack continued, beginning to order himself an Uber to the hospital.

“Sounds good, we’ll get over there as soon as we can. If you think of anything else you need, just let us know. Everything’s going to be fine, Jack,” Rian said, placing a supportive hand on Jack’s shoulder, sensing his worry.

“Thanks, man. I’ll see you guys soon,”

Jack quickly made his way to the back door of the venue, where he selected for his Uber driver to pick him up. He watched the GPS tracking the driver like a hawk, feeling like he was crawling out of his skin from the anxiety. Whenever Alex had a health concern on the road, it always made Jack nervous, but this was different; Jack had never seen Alex so unwell in all their years of touring, and he hated that this had to happen while they were on the other side of the world. After a couple minutes, a car that matched the description of Jack’s Uber pulled up, so Jack walked over to the car and opened the door to the back seat.

“Uber for Jack?” The driver asked, as Jack slid into the seat.

“Yes, that’s correct,” Jack replied, as the driver started to drive.

The ride was dead silent; partly due to the language barrier between Jack and the driver, but mostly due to the anxiety that Jack was feeling. He tried to calm himself down, he knew that being super anxious wasn’t going to help Alex feel better, and that being calm would likely be better for Alex, but he just couldn’t get the feelings of worry and concern to completely go away.

After about ten minutes, the driver pulled up in front of the hospital, where Jack almost opened the door before the car was parked. He said a quick thank you, then rushed into the main entrance of the emergency room, and over to the receptionist desk.

“How can I help you?” The receptionist asked, making a slightly concerned face at Jack’s nervous demeanor and slightly messy post-show appearance.

“Hi, my boyfriend was brought here not too long ago, I was hoping to see him. His name is Alex Gaskarth, and his date of birth is December fourteenth, nineteen eighty seven,” Jack sputtered out, his speech sounding like word vomit.

“Okay, he is in room eleven forty-three. Go down that hallway over there, it’s on the left side, about halfway down the hall,”

“Great, thank you. Two more people will probably be coming soon to see him, as well. Their names are Rian Dawson and Zack Merrick, just to let you know,” Jack replied, already starting to walk away from the desk, and over towards the hallway.

“Thank you for letting me know, I’ll send them that way once they arrive,”

Jack pulled out his phone, sending Rian and Zack a text with the room number, before bolting down the hallway. He carefully looked at the room numbers on the doors, not wanting to skip Alex’s room in his frantic search. Eventually, he found room eleven forty-three, causing a bit of relief to wash over him. After lightly knocking on the door, he opened it up and walked inside, immediately closing it back behind him.

Alex was sitting up in his bed, with a blanket on top of him, and his eyes shut. There was a light pink basin sitting on his lap, and he had an IV in his arm. Jack felt an odd combination of relief and anxiety; he was relieved that Alex had gotten such quick treatment, but seeing him in a hospital bed looking so weak was certainly a bit jarring. He quietly walked over to the side of Alex’s bed and gently took his hand, getting his attention. He slowly turned his head and opened his eyes, a small smile forming on his face when he saw Jack.

“Hey, baby, how’re you doing?” Jack gently asked, starting to stroke Alex’s hand with his thumb.

“Better now that I’m here, but I still don’t feel great. How was the rest of the show? I heard the crowd chanting for me to feel better, and I heard a little bit of the song you guys did right after you were with me backstage. The ambulance came after the first chorus,” Alex replied, tightening his grip on Jack’s hand.

“I’m glad that you went ahead and came here. I hate that I couldn’t be with you on the ride over, but you definitely made the right choice. Rian and Zack are going to come here to bring us a couple things, like phone chargers and some clothes. Do you know if they’re keeping you overnight?”

Jack pulled up a recliner chair that was in the corner of the room, and brought it over to the bedside. He sat in it, then took Alex’s hand again.

“Yeah, I think so, they want to make sure that I’m getting fluids; I think they’ll discharge me in the morning if all is going well. The doctor came in here right before you did, they think it’s food poisoning, too. I can’t believe I ate undercooked seafood,”

“Me too, I can’t believe we didn’t realize it while we were at the street food market. Regardless, I’m just glad that you’re here, getting good care. Have you gotten sick again since you’ve been here?” Jack asked, looking over to the empty basin on Alex’s lap.

“I did in the ambulance, but not since getting in here. My stomach still doesn’t feel right, but I don’t feel as insanely nauseous as I did earlier. I’m hoping that the worst of it is behind me now,” Alex replied, readjusting himself in his bed so he could see Jack better.

“I hope so, too. You had me really worried, babe,” Jack continued, trying to keep his emotions under control as he looked at Alex in his eyes.

“I know, I’m really sorry. Thank you for taking such good care of me back at the venue, I’m so lucky to have you, I love you so much,”

“I love you, too,”

Jack stood up from his chair, and placing a few kisses on Alex’s forehead, making them both smile. After sitting back down, Jack took a look at Alex’s vitals on the screen behind him.

“Are those numbers normal?” Jack asked, making Alex laugh.

“I guess so, no one’s come rushing in here to do something about them. But, what do I know, I didn’t go to college,” Alex replied, as Jack began to laugh.

“Well, hopefully it’s all fine. Do you want me to put something on the TV?” Jack offered, to which Alex nodded.

Jack grabbed the remote that was attached to Alex’s bed, and turned on the TV. He scrolled through the channel guide, until they found a rerun of a movie that they both liked. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, followed by the door being opened by Rian and Zack.

“Hey guys, how’re you feeling, Alex?” Rian asked, as he and Zack went on the opposite side of Alex’s bed from Jack.

“Better than earlier today, but still not great. Thank you guys so much for bringing us some clothes and stuff, you’re both the best,” Alex said, a small smile on his face.

“Of course, man. Are you staying overnight?” Zack asked, setting down the bag that he’d put together for his friends.

“Yeah, they want to make sure that I’m getting hydrated and stuff. I should get to go home in the morning, as long as nothing crazy happens tonight,” Alex replied.

“Good, then you’ll have a good few days to rest up before the next show. I can’t believe you went onstage for the time that you did earlier, you looked really terrible,” Rian continued.

“I don’t know how I did either, to be honest. Thank you guys for wrapping up the show after I had to leave, I appreciate it,”

“No problem, it was fun getting to play some Blink songs, I just wish it could’ve been under better circumstances,” Zack said, earning a small laugh from Alex.

“Hey, I think we’re going to head out, so you guys can have your time together. If either of you need something, please just text us. This hospital isn’t super far from our hotel, so we can come back if we need to. Send us a text in the morning about if Alex is getting discharged or not, we’re happy to help with that however you need us, too,” Rian said, walking over towards the door.

“Sounds good, thank you guys again,” Alex replied, a grateful smile on his face.

“No problem, man. Rest up and feel better, we’ll see you in the morning,” Zack replied, before following Rian out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

As the door shut, Jack looked over to his boyfriend, and could tell that Alex was starting to feel very tried.

“Hey, are you getting tired, babe?” Jack asked, as Alex slowly turned his head towards him.

“A little bit, to be honest. Would you be upset if I went to sleep soon? I know you just got here, and you’re going to be here all night,” Alex asked.

“Of course not, babe. You need to rest so you can feel better. I’ll be here with you all night, so if you need anything, please just wake me up, so I can help you. Let me get myself set up really quick, get yourself comfortable in the meantime,”

Jack quickly changed out of his stage clothes, and into the sweats that his friends had packed them. He plugged his phone and Alex’s into the chargers, then went back over to the recliner chair. Jack lowered the head of Alex’s bed a bit, then turned the lights off and the TV volume down, before getting back into his chair, and grabbing Alex’s hand through the rails of his bed. His arm was in a bit of an awkward angle, but he didn’t care, if it brought Alex even just a little bit of comfort.

“Is your arm okay? There’s no way that you’re comfortable like that,” Alex pointed out, looking down at Jack’s hand in his.

“I’ll be okay, I just want you know that I’m here. Don’t worry about me,” Jack assured, as Alex smiled at him.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me today, you really are the best. I love you so much,” Alex said, sleep already very noticeable in his voice.

“You never have to thank me, babe. I love you so much, I’m just glad that you’re doing a bit better now. Like is said, if you need anything at all tonight, wake me up, okay?” Jack reminded, settling into his chair.

“I will, thank you,”

Alex’s words came out much more slurred this time; Jack knew that he would be asleep within seconds. Jack began to stroke Alex’s hand with his thumb like he’d been doing earlier, hoping that it brought his boyfriend some comfort. After just a few minutes, Jack started to hear heavier breathing coming from Alex, a telltale sound that he was asleep. Even though Jack still felt some nagging concern about his boyfriend, he was relieved that Alex was on the mend. He watched the movie that was on the TV for a bit, until a peaceful sleep took over.

Hello! I got a request for this fic on Tumblr, and it turned out to be way longer than I was initially expecting it would be! For those of you who have read my work for a while, you know that stories like this are what I initially started writing several years ago, so it was fun to kind of throw it back with this story! I'm really trying to write and post more often, but I am still the only one in my department at my job, so there are days when I come home from work and just want to do nothing, which has made it hard to be as consistent as I'd like to be. I've made it a goal to write more, though, so hopefully I'll have another fic up somewhat soon! As always, please feel free to send in requests if you have them, I love writing them! Thank you for reading, it means the world, especially after all these years. Lots of love, Liv.

#alex gaskarth #jack barakat #rian dawson #zack merrik #all time low #atlsickfic #atl sickfic #jalex fic

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