FIC: "A Day Off"

[Guest LadyErisana]

A Day Off

a Wild America story

by Hermione Eveningfall

Author's Note: This is based on the 1997 movie with JTT for those of you who aren't familiar with it

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Jonathan Taylor Thomas tapped his bare foot impatiently as he stood at the edge of the ocean, watching his two co-stars. It was an immensley warm afternoon, and he was desparate for some relief. "Go in, Jon, don't wait for us!" Devon insisted, removing his t-shirt, lifting his face towards the sun. It felt so good to be free for once...free from the seemingly endless hustle and bustle of a movie set. The boys had recently begun filming "Wild America", a sweet story about three brothers who left home one summer to film animals.

Scott laughed as he watched Jonathan give into the temptation, shaking his head. "He will never change," he murmered softly, aiding Devon in setting up their space on the beach... chairs, blankets, towels, umbrella.

"Are you coming in too, man?" Devon asked, raising his eyebrows curiously. Scott looked tired, and a little pale to him.

"No, not yet. You two have fun without me...I think I'm just going to lay down and get some sun."

Devon shrugged, figuring Scott was old enough to care for himself. "Suit yourself." He dashed into the cool water, tackling Jonathan the first chance he got. Scott managed a weak smile, lying back against the blanket. He had a headache, the pressure behind his eyes feeling worse every minute, and his throat was a bit sore. Scott did not tell the other two, but he'd spent much of the previous night sneezing relentlessly as well. He had not been around when Jonathan and Devon decided to spend the day at the beach, but he couldn't refuse when they eventually asked him. `And of course I have to come down with a cold now,' he thought, reaching into the large duffle bag for his pack of tissues. He barely pulled one out when his nose twitched and he needed to sneeze.

Scott breathed quickly, his hand hovering over his face. His sneezes were explosive, and usually people could hear him from at least fifty feet away. Eyes shut, he managed to clamp the tissue over his nose, lurching forward. "HESHHHOOO! Eh-HESHHHH!" Several other people who were resting on the sand around him blessed him. He nodded his thanks, but his nose still tingled. Quickly, he blew hard, coughing into one fist. Jonathan and Devon hadn't heard a thing, however, for they were having a blast swimming. They really became like brothers within the first week or so of filming. Scott was the oldest, having just turned thirty, Devon was eighteen and Jonathan fifteen.

Though Jonathan was the youngest, he often came across as an adult. He'd been acting for his entire life, and probably matured faster as he worked mainly with adults. It was nice to see him being a kid, and Scott smiled thoughtfully, listening to the boy's shrieks and laughter.

"Come on, Scott!" Jonathan encouragd, scrambling onto the sand and making his way towards the blanket. "You're not planning to lay around all day, areyou?" his deep blue eyes were sparkling. Scott chuckled, struggling to sit up.

"Not just yet."

Jonathan pouted, squatting down a little. "Stop acting like such an old man," he teased. "The water's not that cold..." he jumped when turned his head to the side, sneezing again.

"HUH-ESHHHH! ESHHHHH! Excuse me." He sniffled.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan sounded genuinely concerned. Scott looked at him, nodding.

"Yeah, fine." He massaged his forehead, just as Devon came over to join them. He, like Jonathan, was dripping wet and panting, but smiling all the same.

"What's up?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair. Jonathan shrugged, sitting down on the blanket.

"I guess nothing." He did not sound convinced that Scott was in deed fine, but he did not want to start a scene.

"Are you two going to h-ang h-here..." Scott turned his head. "HEUSHHHHH! ESHHHHH!"

Devon rasied an eyebrow. "You aren't getting sick, are you?" he asked, chewing on his lower lip. Jonathan found the pack of tissues and handed them over, before folding his arms. "I'm f-eh- ESHHHHH! Fine, thanks." Scott struggled to sit up, pouring himself a glass of water from the cooler, which he downed in a couple of gulps.

"You shouldn't have agreed to come if you felt this lousy," Devon told him. "Do you have a fever or anything?" he reached over to feel Scott's forehead, but Scott pulled away, embarassed.

"No, he snapped.

"Maybe we should head back before you get worse," Devon added, looking at Jonathan who began drying himself off. Scott scowled.

"Devon, I'm fine, all right? I-oof!" Jonathan lay across his lap, using it as a pillow. Scott blinked, a bit surprised, and shuddered as a few drops of water saoked his own bathing suit. Devon snorted, rolling his eyes, but decided to lay down on his own blanket space. "Comfortable?" Scott asked, feeling his somewhat big brotherly instincts coming over him, and he covered the smaller boy with a dry towel to block the sun. Jonathan tanned and burned very quickly, and the last thing he wanted was for the kid to look like a chocolate covered tomatoe by the end of the afternoon.

"Yeah." Jonathan sighed softly, looking very happy. "So glad they gave us the day off," he admitted. "I love making movies, but I wanted a break."

Scott laughed as Devon grabbed one of Jonathan's feet playfully, causing him to release a startled yelp. "You leave my feet alone!" he curled into a ball. "Devon, stoppit!" he giggled.

"Devon, leave him alone," Scott warned with a look. Jonathan eventually peeped out of his hiding place, and yawned.

"I'm tired," he announced.

"If you're comfortable, just lay here," Scott insisted, but groaned. "Dammit, I think I'm going to sneeze again...HUHISHHHH!"

Devon and Jonathan both jumped. "Bless you," they told him in unison. Scott shook his head, his face still scrunched.

"ESHHHH! HUTSHHHH! God!" he rubbed his eyes.

"Bless you again?" Devon added. "We should really get you back to the hotel."

Scott blew his nose with a fresh tissue, clearing his throat. "I'm sorry, guys. I should have said something."

Jonathan sat up, smiling. "It's okay. We just want to help. After all, we are brothers, arent we?" he asked, his eyes sparkling.

Scott hugged him, ruffling his hair, just as Devon did the same. "You got that right."

The boys then began packing up, just a little disappointed that their fun had to be cut short. Still, at least they could relax back at the hotel. "All right, come on." Devon announced, taking the lead. Jonathan had put on his sunglasses, laughing as Scott lifted him onto his shoulders.

"Okay, you're definitely too heavy," he teased, and Jonathan pouted.

"I am not that heavy!" he retorted, as they made their way to the boardwalk. This was going to be a very interesting couple of months, and that was certain.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

Um...no offense (epecially since I LOVED this story, and loved it even more when I just read it!), but...isn't this an older story? I seem to remember reading a whole series of these a few years ago, maybe on the Sneezefic site? i'm just wondering if I'm losing my mind, or what. :-)

But also...THANK YOU! I have always loved this story, but now all of a sudden, I find myself loving it even more. Thanks so much for (re)posting it!

Abyssinia,

Me

[Guest LadyErisana]

yes it is an older fic lol! i just figured id post the fic here besides the Yahoo group, to get a bit more of a following i hope. so nope, you're not loosing your mind im glad you enjoyed it again

[aggedy_ann]

Loved this the first time around (on Yahoo), and loving it again.

Thanks for posting it here. I just love the playfullness of the boys.