Chapter Text
It had been an exhausting day. Jax and the gang had finished going on an adventure that had them playing music for ghosts in a haunted manor. After that, the Spectacular Six had another concert coming up. That night's concert went spectacularly well, but Jax felt a little bit off. Something icked him. He had no idea what it was, but decided to brush it off. He didn't want to look weak or pathetic in front of his partners, so he continued on with his life as usual. That was until the next morning. Jax stretched and took off his pyjamas, getting dressed and running to the table in the main circus area where Bubble had prepared a monstorous buffet. The rest of the members got into their clothes and met at the breakfast table to eat. For some reason, Jax didn't really want to eat anything. He knew he didn't need food to survive, but everybody else was eating and having a good time. Jax looked over the freshly made eggs, waffles and chocolate chip pancakes. Somebody had to eat it before it became leftovers and would eventually be thrown away. Jax stared at his plate while the others were eating and having a good time. Pomni look at Jax with confusion. He usually was joking around with everybody and eating with them. It wasn't normal for Jax to not want breakfast.
After getting some werid looks from the other five, Jax got up to get something to eat. Bubble's cooking was admittedly amazing, and he couldn't resist taking at least a bite. He loaded his plate with some pancakes, waffles and eggs along with a few blueberries. He joked around with Zooble while lightly messing with Pomni. Quickly, Jax downed what was on his plate and left it on the table. All six walked to the main stage of the circus to hear what the next adventure was. Caine popped onto the stage out of thin air and announced, "TODAY'S ADVENTURE WILL BE A CONCERT! THIS ONE IS FOR YOU, ZOOBLE!" Zooble looked very happy and smiled in their own way. Caine beamed with joy when excitement hit the Spectacular Six. The six rushed to their shared room to figure out what to play. Jax would obviously do a piano solo, and Zooble would be the main singer. Gangle got her string instruments ready as the six practiced some songs.
When the six finally settled on the songs they wanted to play, Caine knocked on their door and asked, "CAN I COME IN?" When one of the members gave Caine the go-ahead, he barged right in and opened a portal to the concert grounds. As always, a crowd of various NPCs awaited them in the crowd. Caine and Bubble sat near the front where the both of them could see the six performing. Jax would usually be excited to show off his skills, but a headache was getting in the way of his focus. He was supposed to play an epic piano cover of Viva La Vida, but negotiated with Zooble to do a different song with Zooble as the lead singer. Instead of playing Viva La Vida, he would play "All I Ask" while Zooble would show off her voice. He wasn't in the mood for playing anything at all, feeling dizzy and tired. The first song was a country-themed instrumental. Jax would usually be dancing, but he chose to stay backstage. As the violin and Banjo could be heard loud and clear, Jax's headache only got worse. He only felt more dizzy, regretting being part of the concert in the first place.
He usually loved playing in the concerts and letting out his creative side. Now, he was feeling tired, dizzy and faint. He knew he couldn't give it his all, and he had promised to play in this concert. Jax just couldn't give up on his promises like that. Jax had a good feeling that sitting this one out would've been better for himself, but he also had a promise he made. He decided that keeping his promise was more important than just sitting it out. He would show his five lovers how much they mattered to him. When the second song was over, Jax pulled out the piano and began playing. Zooble stretched their limbs and began singing with, "I will leave me heart at the door... I won't say a word, c'ause they've been all said before y'know."
Jax wasn't as chipper and graceful as he was. He looked like he was putting in an average amount of effort and focus. It was good enough, but not exactly what the other five expected of Jax. Pomni looked worried and Zooble seemed to be a bit annoyed. They thought Jax was slacking just to mess with them. They continued singing, "All I ask if this is my last night with you, hold me like I'm more than just a friend... Give me a memory I can use!" Jax let out a few coughs before messing up one of the notes of the song. The crowd cheered for Zooble's wonderful voice, but Jax was falling behind very quickly. As the song was over, Jax tried playing Viva La Vida on the piano as a solo. The first part of the song was powerful and strong, but Jax slowly started slipping and had to finish the solo at the second verse. The crowed clapped and softly cheered while Jax slumped backstage and sat on the ground, knees against his chest and an aching chest. Jax never thought that what he had was getting even worse by the hour.
After the concert was over, Jax ran to the front of the stage to take a bow with the other five circus members. His body was noticeably shaky and his smile looked off. The stage lights were turned off and Jax could finally take a break. Caine and Bubble also noticed what had happened to Jax. It was a hard reality to face, but Jax admittedly wasn't feeling so good. He didn't care, however. He thought he could shake it off and keep going on with his day. He did a bit of break dancing in the main area of the circus tent, putting a happy look on everybody's faces. He looked like he was feeling much better. After spinning on his head, he got so dizzy he almost fell backwards onto the ground. Jax caught himself before he could hit the ground and shook it off as just a stumble. Ragatha in particular was worried the most. She spoke up and asked, "J-Jax? Are you okay?"
Jax looked at Ragatha like she said something bizzare. He said, "What- I'm just fine. Stop worrying your head off again." He simply brushed it off again. Not wanting to make Jax mad, Ragatha nodded and sat down somewhere. The other circus members sat in the same area, including Jax. He might not pretend to not care anymore, but he still didn't want to be left more vulnerable than he needed to be. Even after he almost abstracted, Kinger told Jax to let the other five care for him. Jax took care of everybody else and himself, but never wanted anybody else to care for him. He thought he could be entirely self reliant. He started questioning what he thought until Bubble called everybody else for dinner. It was a buffet style just like breakfast was. A plate of spaghetti was made just for Jax. His stomach acted up even more. That plate of spaghetti wasn't looking as delicious or appealing.
Was he just going to refuse his favourite thing ever? Bubble put a lot of time and effort into what she makes and Jax wouldn't want to show an insane amount of disrespect to their lead chef. He sighed and accepted the spaghetti with a frown. He sat down at the table while he slowly and silently ate. Zooble started to notice Jax's declining appetite and apathetic demeanor. The other five didn't want to bug Jax or make him more irritated. Jax moved away from everybody and sat on the other end of the table, taking thirty minutes to finish a large plate of spaghetti that he would usually finish in fifteen minutes. He didn't even finish his glass of water. He just finished his meal, wiped off his face, and walked straight to the Spectacular Six's shared room. Zooble got up after they finished their food and opened the door to the six's room to check on Jax. He was laying on the bed face down and groaning.
Zooble walked in and sat next to Jax. They said, "Hey, are you feeling alright?"
Jax said, "Ugh... I'll be fine... Just... Leave me alone, please."
Zooble had a feeling that Jax was about to abstract, but they had their doubts. They thought that Jax was perfectly happy and not at risk of abstracting as of late. It was only today that things started to go wrong. Zooble tried to connect the dots. When they heard a hasty cough come out of Jax, they instantly knew that it wasn't a case of near-abstraction. They said, "Alright, we'll be back after dinner." and closed the door. Jax quickly changed into his pyjamas and went to bed, curling up into a ball and coughing even more. When dinner was over, the other five went into their shared room. Pomni and Ragatha were met with the sight of Jax already deep asleep, buried under quite a few blankets. He had very slight bags under his large eyes and his ears were drooped. Something was clearly wrong. Since Jax was already getting some rest, the five slept on a different bed and left Jax alone.
The next morning, Caine knocked on the door and announced from the other side that breakfast was ready. Almost all of the circus members were asking if Jax was fine. Jax didn't respond and brushed them off. At the breakfast table, Jax had a couple of omlettes and felt rather full. Kinger said, "So, Jax. We've noticed you haven't been yourself lately. Are you sure you're fine?"
Jax said, "Do I really have to say this again? I am fine." The other five didn't believe a word he said. Jax's voice was raspy and hoarse.
Gangle said, "Ummm, Jax... You look like you might be sick..."
Jax put on his happy face and said, "Nah! It's just a cold. I'll be good, folks." He coughed into his arm a few times after that. Right after he was done talking, he grabbed some more food and ate despite feeling incredibly nauseous. He thought he would deal with it later.
Pomni said, "Jax, I don't think it's 'just a cold'. You look terrible!"
Zooble pouted, "I'm not surprised..."
When Jax felt his stomach drop and something bubbling in his throat, his ears trooped and eyes pinned. Everyone immediately became worried and carefully looked at Jax. His face was a pale purple and he looked extremely tired. He was a disaster. Ragatha said, "Okay, let's figure this out after we're done eating, alright?"
Jax felt something come up and the sickening sweet taste. He covered his mouth with his hands and immediately bolted towards the hallway, looking for a trashcan or somewhere he could puke. Jax's legs gave in and he became too dizzy to run any further and tripped. Pomni started running behind Jax as Ragatha ran close behind. Jax fell to his knees and hands, trying to hold it in. Eventually his body gave in and he threw up all over the floor. It wasn't black goo. It was the actual stuff he ate. When he finished vomiting everything he had in his stomach, he fell to the ground, collapsing onto the ground and landing in the puddle of vomit. Zooble and Kinger were close behind. Gangle followed behind and looked at Jax with sympathy, who was laying down on the ground, weak and unable to carry himself. He tried to get up, but he faceplanted on the ground and in the vomit puddle again. Ragatha picked him up and Zooble put the back of their hand on his forehead. It was a fever, and a very high one.
Pomni took up the job of cleaning the vomit puddle in the hallway. Caine looked at the puddle and cringed at the putrid smell. He would send Bubble to clean it up, but the idea of Bubble licking up real vomit from somebody who was sick didn't sound like a good or savory idea. Caine summoned some cleaning supplies for Pomni and gave her a hug and a bandana to hold back her hair. Pomni took off her cap and put on the bandana. She scrubbed the floor as Gangle took some of the cleaning supplies and cleaned the remaining vomit off of Jax's face and head. Kinger opened the door for Ragatha who put Jax on the bed and took off his overalls and gloves. Jax squeezed his eyes shut and went through a coughing fit. Zooble rubbed Jax's chest and Ragatha gave him a kiss on the forehead.
Jax's chest ached badly and his stomach too. He had a bad headache and felt like the room was spinning. His chest pain only got worse as he lost his voice. His coughing worsened too. Jax didn't know what to do except for lay down and wish for the sweet release of death.