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Paul was not feeling well that day. He’d had this stomach virus that would just not go away. The band also had an interview planned for the same day, making Paul feel nervous.
Sure, he could just cancel the interview, but Paul didn’t want to be a bother. The band tried to persuade him to stay home but he wasn’t having it. "I feel fine," he had said. Lies.
The interview was going well. 'Well' meaning Paul hadn’t thrown up the little amount of contents in his stomach. It baffled Paul at how often he was being sick even though he hadn’t been eating hardly anything.
He hadn’t spoke for a while, which was uncommon for him. It made John worried. Not hearing his laughter, at things that would usually make him laugh so hard he’d cry, made him concerned.
As the interviewer began to ask another question John cut him off, "you okay?" He had asked which Paul just laughed off, desperately trying to ignore the clamminess of his hands and how his stomach hurt badly. He was spaced out during most of the interview.
John gave Paul his John Lennon Stare as Paul turned around to look behind him for about the fourth time in the interview. "You alright?" John asked softly when they made eye contact. Paul just shaped his lips into an 'o' shape as another attempt at distracting himself from the sickness that was taking over him.
It made John smile and look down, Paul did the same. Though it did not do much to rid John of his concern for Paul.
The interview came to an end, much to Paul’s relief, and the band made their way back to the hotel they’d been staying in.
The car journey back was short. Paul sat next to John on the far left, George was in the seat next to John on the right, sandwiching the auburn haired male in the middle and Ringo sat in the front next to the driver.
Paul’s lips twitched into a soft smile as he noticed John's warm hand covering his on his right thigh. Slowly he felt John’s fingers intertwine with his which made Paul look up to see John with that look in his eye. The look that John rarely had but when it was there it was special. It showed his caring side. A part of John that Paul adored, which many didn’t have the chance to see.
Ringo was turned around in the passenger seat as he spoke to George. The younger boy subtly motioned with a nod of his head to the boys next to him to make Ringo look and see what he was seeing. Ringo couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on his face at the sight of the two boys holding hands, John looking at Paul with a soft gaze.
They were back at the hotel in no time. The four of them had two rooms, it had originally been George and John in one room and Ringo and Paul in the other but John wanted to keep a close watch on Paul so they swapped.
Paul had practically sprinted into the hotel room as soon as John opened the door. He made a beeline straight for the bathroom, not bothering to lay his suit jacket somewhere nice so it didn’t get wrinkled as he chucked it off him.
In a flash he was bent over the toilet, throat burning as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet bowl. His body heaved at the force of it.
John had just closed the door when he heard the gagging sounds come from the toilet. When he entered the bathroom he was met with the sight of a sick Paul leaned over the toilet, pale hands clutching the sides desperately. He came behind him and rubbed his back in slow circles. He heard Paul whimper when he realised John was with him.
"J-John..."
He was quick to shush him and kept the same slow movements he made on his back until Paul wasn’t being sick anymore. John waited until the younger man’s breathing was steady before he gently took his arm and pulled him up into a standing position.
Paul’s back was against John’s front as he flushed the toilet and sprayed the room with some random 'lavender mist' that the hotel generously gave. John kept a hand on his upper arm as he walked him into the other room and sat him on the bed. The room had one bed, much like all the other hotel rooms they stay in.
John let him get comfortable as he leaned him against the headboard of the bed before he left to go to the bathroom. Paul whined in protest but John was back quick enough, his jacket that he had carelessly discarded in his hand. He hung the jacket up on the hanger and hooked it on the handle of the cupboard.
Paul’s skin was hot against John’s fingertips as he tugged at the white button up shirt that clung to his body. "Ay, Paulie. Let’s get you dressed."
Paul nodded and smiled as he watched John kneel on the bed to undo his shirt.
"I can undress myself, y'know." Paul said, voice scratchy, with a hint of smugness.
John rolled his eyes and continued to undo the buttons but Paul didn’t miss the way his cheeks turned a little pink at his comment.
The shirt was unbuttoned and John smoothed his palms over Paul’s pale shoulders to slide the shirt off until his whole top half was exposed.
"Pretty, Macca." John mumbled as he admired the milky skin of the boy in front of him. His eyes were glued to the muscles in his arms rippling under his skin as he turned to fold his shirt over the chair beside the bed. Paul smiled at his comment.
"Can’t be that pretty after bein' sick." Paul said as his hands moved to his zipper to unzip his trousers. John blushed as he watched Paul lift his bum up off the bed to pull them down in a swift motion, not caring that John was staring at him.
John was off the bed and already headed into the bathroom, clothes in hand before Paul could say anything. The door shut and Paul decided to get changed quickly into another pair of boxers, blue pj bottoms and a long sleeve black top.
When John left the bathroom he was changed into his pyjamas - the same as Paul but his bottoms were grey shorts and the top was white. Paul looked cosy, snuggled underneath the crisp white covers with droopy eyes gazing up at him.
John quickly joined Paul in the bed and pulled the covers over him.
Paul was quick to move closer to John, curling up against his body like a cat. It made John smile.
Paul had a content little smile on his face as John’s fingers carded softly through his brown hair, stopping to rub tiny circles on his scalp that made him emit a sound close to a purr.
The younger man was almost asleep and John decided he could finally say what George had told him earlier, as he probably wasn’t in the mood to object with him. "We cancelled the show for you, luv."
Paul just hummed and buried his face further into the side of John’s chest, soft breathing settling over them.
John’s eyes grew heavy so he closed them and let sleep take him. "N'ght Paul." He mumbled before drifting off into a deep slumber.
The next morning George and Ringo found the two boys curled up together, still in deep sleep. The pair looked incredibly peaceful as John’s arms were wrapped around Paul’s middle, the brunette's back pressed against John’s front. They didn’t have the heart to wake them. So they closed the door behind them and retreated to their own room to get some more rest.