Chapter Text
There was no good time for idols to be sick of course, but everyone knew you did not get sick before idol awards season.
Last year, Rumi was an exception, since she wasn’t sick so much as her demon patterns were affecting her voice, but it would’ve been fine anyway because Zoey would literally pay Rumi to take off for twenty-four hours straight. So that instance was okay, obviously.
It was not okay that Zoey was cramping and feverish and throwing up long before she considered morning to actually start. Mere hours before final rehearsals for live performances.
She let out a few choice words that she’d initially refused to teach Mira and Rumi years ago when they’d asked, but had since become their strongest English. She wasn’t sure her stomach had ever hurt so much, not even the time she made the mistake of eating five cans of red beans in one sitting. She’d been eating the same stuff as Mira and Rumi, and they weren’t getting sick, so the ever-present question stuck in her mind, just in a new context:
What was wrong with her?
Zoey wiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist, trying shakily to stand as someone knocked on the door. “Zo? That you in there?” Mira’s voice was heavy with sleep still. It had to be, what, five? Maybe earlier.
“I’m fine,” she said as a reflex, nearly doubling over as a particularly strong cramp hit her. She bit her lip to stop from screaming, just a little.
The bathroom door opened before she could react. “That wasn’t a normal person answer,” Mira offered as an explanation, her eyes trailing up and down Zoey, gripping her stomach with one hand and the counter with the other, sweaty and probably pale, definitely not cute.
Rumi walked by the door, backtracking once she realized something wasn’t right. Zoey wasn’t ready to admit something was wrong yet, but something definitely wasn’t right. “Zoey? You’re still in there?”
Mira’s head whipped around so fast, Zoey thought she’d get whiplash. “What do you mean, still?”
“I got up a couple hours ago and heard you snoring, so I knew it was her in here.” Rumi took another step forward, into the bathroom that was thankfully big enough for all of them and probably a few more people.
“I’m fine,” Zoey repeated through gritted teeth. Her knees shook, threatening to send her to the ground. “It’s just cramps, I’ll be ready to start soon, I promise—”
Mira hooked an arm around her shoulders just before her knees gave out, gently lowering her to the ground. This time, she couldn’t push back the groan that escaped at the movement. “Rumi, call Bobby.”
Zoey tried to argue, she was fine, but Mira put a hand on her stomach. She was barely pressing, but it was some of the worst pain she’d ever felt.
She screamed.
“Tell him it’s probably appendicitis,” she shouted out to Rumi, now in the hallway. Then, as if sensing the question Zoey couldn’t voice, “I had a very, very short pre-med phase in middle school. Never tell the fans.”
Zoey tried for a smile that she was sure didn’t work, since soon she was over the toilet again, even though she didn’t have anything left. Hadn’t for hours. And it just made her stomach hurt worse.
“It’s okay,” Mira whispered, rubbing her back gently. “Rumi? ETA?”
“Two minutes. I think he’s breaking several traffic laws.” Zoey had her eyes squeezed shut, but she felt Rumi’s hand on her back, too. “We’re gonna get you help, Zoey.”
“I’m sorry,” she managed, just barely. Sorry they had to miss just about everything. Oh, “What it Sounds Like” released just after last season, she was so sure they were set to win so many awards!
She felt Mira press a kiss to her (very sweaty, very messy) hair. Somehow, she guessed exactly what Zoey meant. “You’re more important than the awards. This is a genuine medical emergency. Our fans will understand.”
Some would. Zoey trusted their fans, but there were others out there that would look at the timing, say she was hiding because Huntrix felt threatened by another group, even if that was so, so far from true.
Mira helped her shift so she was sitting again. Her mouth tasted horrible, her eyes felt puffy, but still she and Rumi looked at Zoey like she was the only thing that mattered. “Just a little while. We’ll help you feel better.”
And though Zoey still cried, still hurt, she already did.