fanfiction

Jay made faces at the fans before sidestepping his way over to Nathan at his side, throwing an arm over his shoulder. The two of them began dancing along to the beat of the music and I watched as cameras started flashing, the fans scrambling to get a good shot of the Jaythan moment. I shook my head at them as Jay kissed Nathan on the cheek, resulting in Nathan pulling a face and stepping away from him. As Jay returned to his former position and started singing his part, Nathan followed, copying his hand motions and mimicking how he was handling the mic. Jay furrowed his eyebrows at him and lightly shoved him away before shaking his head and making his way across the stage.

Nathan shrugged and turn his attention to the fans in the front row, winking and pointing to a few of them to get a few extra screams out of them. I felt my heart swell at the sight. It had been a while since I'd seen him perform like this. I had been to concerts of his before, but never actually sat in the crowd. I think part of me had been too afraid of a repeat of the first time I'd been to one of their concerts – which ended in him holding my hair as I sat in front of the toilet. It wasn't one of my finest moments and I had to leave the concert early.

Seeing it now was incredible, especially being seated up in the balcony so I didn't have to worry about him watching my reactions and so I could see him interacting with the fans properly. He really did love his fans, as much as he complained about them gossiping too much at times. He knew he owed the majority of his success to them, without them he and the boys wouldn't have made it this far – and without them, they wouldn't continue to succeed.

“What's wrong with Nathan?” Kels questioned, throwing her arm around me and leaning forward to point to him as he stood off to the side of the stage, rubbing at his neck. He feigned a smile as Siva finished his part, stepping forward into the center of the stage and waving. As he began his part, it was obvious to see that he was struggling. His voice cracked in various places throughout his solo and although he was trying to appear happy, the worry-lines had started to develop on his forehead and his lips were pulled down slightly at the edges.

I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest and shaking my head. “I told him he needed to get that checked out weeks ago. The boy never listens.”

Kelsey shook her head and blew out a long breath between her lips. “They've been on the go constantly. He hasn't had much of a chance.”

“Yeah well,” I began nodding at him as he shook himself out of his mood and bounced around on stage. “If he doesn't get it checked soon, his voice will only get worse.”

“Try telling that to Nano,” she grumbled.

“I just might,” I stated resolutely. “If it doesn't get any better within the next few days, I'm demanding it.”

Kelsey pursed her lips and gave me a sympathetic look, patting my shoulder. “Good luck with that. The role of girlfriend to the popstar is never as important to the management team as it is to the boys.”

I shrugged. “He's my fiance. I think I should get a say in his life.”

She grinned, rolling her eyes at me and shoving my shoulder. “Like I said, good luck with that.”

**

“Babe?” Nathan's broken voice could barely be heard from the other room and I sighed, pausing in my cleaning in the kitchen of our flat to peek around the corner into the living room.

“What?” I questioned, lifting an eyebrow when I noticed he was laid out on the couch, his arms over his face and one of his legs stretched out to rest on the coffee table while the other hung over the arm of the couch.

“Can you make me a cuppa with lemon?” he mumbled.

I put my hands on my hips and pursed my lips. “And why can't you do it?”

He peeked out from underneath his arms with a pout. “My throat hurts.”

I rolled my eyes, going back to the kitchen to continue the dishes. “Didn't I tell you to get that checked out?”

I heard him sigh over-dramatically, his feet thudding to the floor as he lazily rolled off the couch and made his way into the kitchen. I glanced at him over my shoulder to see him leaning against the frame of the entryway, his arms crossed over his chest as he frowned. “I haven't had the time.”

“What was wrong with today?” I questioned incredulously, drying the last of the dishes and draining the sink. I wiped my hands on a dishtowel before turning around, leaning back against the sink. “You had the whole day off.”

“Exactly,” he stated, as if that explained everything. He made his way over to me, placing his hands on my hips and smiling gently. “It was my day off.”

I rolled my eyes, tossing the towel into the sink. “Which makes it a perfect day for you to go to the doctor.”

“Tink,” he groaned, pressing his forehead to mine and closing his eyes in exasperation. “It was my day off. I wanted to spend it with you.”

Glancing down at his hands as they rested on my hips, I watched as he rubbed slow circles over the bottom of my shirt with his thumbs. I sighed, placing my hands on his forearms and smiling sympathetically when he opened his eyes. “I get that you wanted to spend time with me, Nathan. I love and appreciate that, but I also want you to get better. You need to talk to Nano about getting that checked out. It's been a week since you've last performed and it's still getting worse.”

His frown deepened and he closed his eyes, putting his arms around me in a hug.

I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him lightly. “I know it's not something you want to face, but you have to. There's only so much that tea with lemon can fix, this problem might not be one of them.”

“I'm scared, Tink,” he admitted. “What if they tell me something horrible? What if I won't be able to sing again?”

“Nathan,” I stated gently, a knot forming in my throat at the thought of him not being able to do what he loved. I shook the thought away and held him a little tighter. “At the rate you're going, you're only going to make your voice worse. If you don't get it checked out soon, then you really won't be able to sing again. You need to do something about it.”

He nodded slightly, resting his head against mine. “Will you be there?”

I pulled away quickly, staring at him with wide eyes. “Is that even a real question?”

He cracked a smile, shrugging. “Might be.”

I rolled my eyes, grasping his face in my hands and pushing up onto my tiptoes. I left a lingering kiss to his lips before dropping back down to the balls of my feet. “Of course I'll be there. I will always be there.”

His smile grew and he pulled me back into his arms, holding me tightly. “That's all I need to know, Tink. As long as I've got you, I'll be alright.”

A small twinge materialized in the corner of my eyes and my hands formed fists around the back of his shirt as I stepped closer to him. “No matter what happens, Nathan, you will always have me. You know that.”

“I know,” he muttered quietly, pressing his lips to my forehead. “I just like to be reminded sometimes.”

**

“I can't believe they're sending you to the U.S. for another three months,” I sighed, collapsing down onto the sofa next to Nathan.

He frowned, putting an arm around me and pulling me into his side. He placed a kiss to the side of my head and sighed. “I know, Tink. I wish you could come.”

I ran a hand through my hair in aggravation. We had just gotten through all the drama of what happened the last time he was in the U.S. without me for so long and now we were being forced apart all over again. The worse part was he was ill this time and I wanted to be there for him more than anything. I wanted to make sure that he talked to Nano about his throat, but I couldn't hold his hand through it all. It wasn't plausible. “You know I'd be there if I didn't have to work.”

A small smile tugged at his lips, the expression barely reaching his eyes. “It's nice to hear you say those words though, I'm proud of you for getting a job.” He wrapped his other arm around me tightly, pulling me into his lap and burying his face into my neck before voicing what he knew was on my mind, his voice gentle and hesitant. “You've got Charlie this time.”

I nodded, closing my eyes and leaning back against his chest, resting my arms over his. “I know.”

“And you'll be able to join me for a few weeks toward the end of the trip,” he reminded me, his lips lightly trailing kisses up to my jawline.

“Two days before your birthday,” I muttered, feeling my chest tighten at the thought. It felt like such a long time to be away from one another. After what happened the last time, I was absolutely terrified.

He squeezed me and pulled his face away from me, peering around my shoulder to look at me. “Hey.” He waited until I was looking at him to continue. “This time will be different, alright? You and I are planning our wedding, we'll talk as often as possible, and you'll have Charlie to keep you company and I know you've been meaning to catch up with Emma. With how busy you'll be with your new job, the next few months will be over before you know it. We've got nothing to worry about, Tink.”

I nodded slowly, twisting myself around so I could wrap my arms around his neck and rest my head on his shoulder. “I know, I'm just going to miss you.”