unedited !!
It was a fairly normal day in the Why Don't We household. Jonah was preparing some food in the kitchen, his 'chill' playlist playing softly in the background. Daniel and Corbyn had gone upstairs a while ago to try and write a new song, but Corbyn fell asleep so Daniel was just jamming quietly by himself. Zach and Jack were cuddling in their shared room, the tv softly playing an episode of FRIENDS. Their legs were tangled up together, intertwined in awkward positions, but neither of them wanted to move an inch. Jack's head was resting lightly on Zach's chest, and the younger boy was playing with his hair, wrapping the light curls around his fingers and letting them go. Occasionally, Jack would let out soft laughs, being entirely endorsed by the show, but Zach couldn't bring himself to do that; his mind was elsewhere.
He was worrying about himself. He was worried about certain thoughts that he had began to have, specifically about his physical appearance; he started to hate how he looked, wishing he were more toned and skinnier. It reminded him of when he was in his early teens, and the most awful thing began to happen. He started eating less and working out a lot more, hoping to be like the rest of the guys in his year, but he got caught before he took it too far; by got caught, he meant he fainted in gym class and got sent to hospital, where they had diagnosed him with the beginnings of what clearly was anorexia. His mum was terrified hearing those words. She loved her son to pieces, and thinking of him suffering hurt her tremendously. So, she was always strict on making sure he ate enough, and soon enough Zach got back to normal.
Only recently have certain suspicions begun to arise; some of which Zach hasn't even noticed himself. It was as though, in this situation, Zach has no control over his thoughts or actions, and he's afraid to take it too far again. Living in the limelight is difficult, with people constantly judging him and him having to always look his best.
Zach's getting scared by his own thoughts, and he doesn't like spacing out so often, thinking negatively. He hates the tight feeling in his chest when he thinks about all the pressure he's under, he hates thinking of the millions of people following his every move, he hates how he forces himself to be perfect for everyone around him, especially his boyfriend, Jack. Jack deserves better, he constantly thinks.
"Baby, did you hear me?" Jack's soft voice breaks him out of his trance, and his eyes quickly snap downwards, meeting his boyfriend's worried ones. He forces himself to let out a soft smile, breathing out through his nose as his body untenses.
"Huh?" He croaks, his mind slightly dazed. That causes Jack to look up at him worriedly, slowly sitting up so that he's facing Zach more directly, his hand going to caress his face.
"Are you okay love? You've seemed really out of it recently." He hums softly, and Zach doesn't allow his eyes to meet his, afraid he might be able to see right into his insecurities. When Zach doesn't answer, Jack gets even more worried, and he moves his hand to gently press against Zach's forehead. "Are you not feeling well? Do you need any sort of medicine? Or should I get Jo-"
"No!" Zach suddenly exclaims quietly, breaking Jack off. The curly haired boy looks at him, confused, slowly sitting down on his heals. "No." He repeats, softly this time, sitting up quickly so that he can lean over the side of the bed, his back facing Jack.
"I just-" Zach starts, taking in a deep breath. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed, I need to go for a walk." He stands up very suddenly, going over to slip on his shoes and a jumper. Jack stays on the bed, the blanket wrapped around his waist, and he looks up at Zach with his eyebrows furrowed in worry.
