Sidemen Shots

Pub Golf ~ Wroetojzl

This was written in response to a guest request over on ao3.

"Right," Harry starts, clapping once unnecessarily in order to earn the attention of the Sidemen members seated in front of him in his living room, "Since Tobi has actually agreed to drink this time, I've had to call in the big guns in order to equalise the teams."

Just as he finishes speaking, a roaring cheer emerges from the hallway, Will Lenney finally making an appearance after spending the last fifteen - nearly twenty - minutes hiding away in Harry's bedroom while the other boys arrived and prepared themselves to start the intro for their latest Sidemen pub golf recording. His features are bright, his lips pulled tight in an ecstatic grin. He waves enthusiastically as he approaches the Sidemen, basking in their generous welcome.

"Y'alright mates?" He rubs his hands together after a singular, faint clap, "So when do we get to drinking?"

"Right now!" Harry exclaims dramatically to the camera lens, overzealous in his camera presence. The video, after the editing process, will cut straight to the eight of them standing outside of the first pub of the evening.

Behind the scenes, Harry hands out four pairs of matching polo shirts in various colours. Tobi blatantly whines about being placed on the same team as JJ, finding it unfair considering this is the first time ever that he's been willing to drink enough to warrant insobriety. The last alcoholic drink he had consumed was a little under four years ago, when he filmed a video that allowed Ethan and Harry (dubbed as 'drink connoisseurs' by both themselves and their peers) to give him his first ever taste, to coach him through the ideal beginner's menu.

Will, in extreme contrast to Tobi, practically squeals in delight, jumping with unfiltered joy as he hauls Harry around in a circle with him, an arm over Harry's shoulders that has Tobi looking away, reluctantly pulling on his own sunny yellow polo shirt, sized to fit perfectly, clinging to his torso snuggly enough to hint at the definition of muscle that lays beneath the material.

A couple minutes later, they all quietly pack up their discarded t-shirts, pocketing their wallets and choosing to leave their bags at Harry's for ease - wholly willing or not, they all anticipate getting absolutely plastered by the end of the video shoot. They can come back for their stuff another time, either later in the day or just ask Harry to bring them over to a different work shoot. Together they shuffle out of Harry's front door in near silence, only the odd comment and consequent laughter shared as they do so, the cameramen following with their cameras off and pressed against their sides securely.

As the last one out, Harry locks his front door, slowly and securely, turning once finished to find only Tobi still stood behind him patiently. Evidently, the others are too impatient to wait for him despite him being the sole host of the video, and also the only person who knows the actual coordinates of the first pub of the night. A couple of the cameramen may know the name of the destination, but even that is no help when there are at least three of them in the surrounding area of London.

"Thanks for waiting for me."

"Of course," Tobi responds, his eyes earnest and his smile timid but not small. "The others are stupid for not waiting."

Tobi purposely leaves out the fact that he chose to wait mainly because he is still feeling anxious about the night's prospects, Harry his lifeline in a world of unknown, in an environment of hazards and uncertainty. Drinking is Harry's domain, not Tobi's. It is a foreign territory that Tobi has only once took a mere glimpse into once, so of course he would be nervous at a time like this.

"They're always stupid," Harry remarks, earning a chuckle from Tobi which fuels his own giggle. "What can you expect from a bunch of haggard old men? They're washed already, I've been telling them."