The Day We Went To Mars - Sidemen Fanfiction

**Chapter 7**

~JOSH~

T minus : 12 hours

"Arguing on a rocket is shit," he mumbled as soon as Simon approached him, his eyes fixed on the reflection of the blonde in the glass. The boy expected him to complain about the lack of private space to be alone but instead he seemed to have cheered up.

"Can't slam a door in zero gravity," he explained with a tender smile, sending a twinkle of amusement flashing through Simon's eyes. He let out a melodic laugh and put an arm around his shoulder comfortably.

"How are you feeling?" Simon risked the question, watching Josh's expression closely as he faced him fully, turning his back on the idly orbiting planet over his shoulder. He shrugged to begin with, a small smile playing across his lips.

"Fine thank you, Ethan," he replied with a smirk. Simon shook his head lightly, exhaling a breath deliberately slowly and rolling his eyes into the back of his head. His gaze wandered back to the view beyond the glass, the sight of Mars a sobering reminder of the imminent, unavoidable fate they were, quite literally, rocketing towards.

"Don't worry about it Si," the boy stole his attention away once more, his hazel eyes capturing Simon's blue forcefully, "I-I know what I'm doing." He stumbled slightly, betraying his concern, an act that immediately prompted Simon to throw his own doubt to the side. Stepping forward, he rested both hands on Josh's shoulders. The mere contact broke the fragmenting barriers Josh had in front of him, shattering his defences as his eyes dropped to the floor.

"Look at me," Simon muttered, his voice reverberating around the small room and creating a warm echo, "Josh, please?" The older, yet in this moment weaker boy reluctantly lifted his drooping chin, exposing his pale complexion, shadowy eyes and ashamed, threatening tears. Simon merely shook his head, pulling him closer in a tight embrace and resting his own chin on the neatly cut head of hair that rested into his chest.

"I could kill all of us."

"You said it yourself," he reassured confidently, "You know what you're doing. We all trust you to make the right call and whatever happens, I trust you to get us all out of there alive." A small sigh escaped Josh's lips, his head ducking in further embarrassment.

"What about Tobi?" he questioned feebly, the doubt seeping into each and every word.

"He's your best friend," Simon emphasised, the usual pang registering at the forefront of his mind, "Tobi cares about you as much, if not more, than everyone else on this ship. He's worried for you not because of you." This time, he was rewarded with a small nod and a trace of a smile.

"Anyway, some random people from NASA have nothing on us Sidemen," he continued with renewed confidence, eliciting a low chuckle and a definite grin. Josh released his steely grip on Simon and stepped back gratefully, only a small look of anxiety remaining on his face.

"And you promise you'll be there with me?" he asked desperately, hope painted across his face as he stared into Simon's eyes.

"Of course," Simon returned earnestly, "I'm your second in command aren't I?"

"Until the end?"

"Always."

***

T minus : 30 minutes

"There's nothing else to be done Harry," the commander repeated as the youngest boy paced the control room tirelessly, refusing to take his seat. Vikk finally stood up and grabbed him by the arm, firmly pushing him to sit down, "I know you don't like this lack of control but there really is very little more we can do to make anything any safer."