Where I Am Without You [L.S]

Chapter Twenty

A/N - I update this story a few chapters at a time to keep up with it alongside my larger AO3 updates so please make sure you read through the chapters in there correct order !!

"What are we doing?" Is the first thing he says as he takes a seat at the turning table before him. James and Louis are sat on the chairs on his side of the table whilst the other three all sit across from them.

"Doesn't look so bad." Zayn utters and Niall scoffs from where he's seated beside Zayn.

"It's fuckin' horrible, don't underestimate the foul taste of this food mate. No idea why I'm sat here doing this again!" Niall complains and a few of the close by audience members snigger at his words.

"Cheer up, least we've all got to go through this." James says with a smirk.

"What the fuck, how do you get bird saliva?" Louis calls out with disgust as he turns the table around studying each of the foods.

"They'll never tell anyone." Harry says back to him, remembering his own last time playing this game.

"Alright, camera's back on in ten, nine..." A cameraman calls out and each of them busy themselves straightening out their clothes as a red warning light flashes. "Two, one!"

"And welcome back to Spill Your Guts of Fill Your Guts with One Direction! Alright, now for those of you who don't know how this works and for the benefit of the three young lads who haven't had the privilege of experiencing this particular game yet, the rules are fairly simple. The opposite team asks a question, you either answer it truthfully or eat the food which the other team decides beforehand, and as always, if the person the question is aimed at doesn't answer then their whole team must eat!"

Harry and Niall groan collectively before James begins explaining each of the different food options before him.

"This is so not sanitary." Zayn mumbles but the words catch on his microphone sending the audience into soft laughter.

"Let's get things started then shall we, Niall if you'd like to do the honours!" James says and Niall picks up the first card, reads it then leans over towards Liam and Zayn.

"Ha!" Liam says looking up towards Louis.

"What are we gonna pick for them?" Niall says eying the table.

"Louis has expressed his interest in the bird saliva so I'd say that's a good place to start?" Zayn offers with a shrug and Louis glares at him as the glasses come to stop before him.

"Hate you." Louis says and Zayn grins at him.

"Love you too."

"Alright Louis, pick your favourite album between Icarus Falls, Flicker, LP1 and Fine Line."

"You've got to be joking." Louis says, immediately eyeing the bird saliva before him. Harry is looking at him intently from around the other side of James, he catches Louis glance the minute he does so, if only for a brief second before Louis gulps and grabs for the glass. Harry groans as he reaches for the glass, James doing so beside him.

"What even is this!" Louis says spitting it out into the bucket after he had raised the glass to his lips and taken a sip. Harry mirrors his actions, grabbing his own bucket at his feet and spitting out the slimy texture.

Zayn, Liam and Niall are cracking up opposite them, eyes bright with amusement.

"Alright you little shits." Louis says and grabs for a card. He doesn't even bother showing him and James the card, instead gesturing for Harry to pick the food and his eyes slide to Liam showing he's the target.

He takes a moment looking over the food before finally shifting the table around till it's the Salmon smoothie placed before him, remembering Liam's distaste for the seafood.

"Thanks mate." Liam says flatly and looks up at Louis who has a wicked grin on his face.

"Liam."

"Louis." Liam says back flatly.

"If you could claim any one of us four's solo albums, and a single, which would you pick?"

"This isn't fair." Liam groans and everyone laughs. "Alright, I feel like I can answer that though because it's my personal taste of what I'd produce most similar to my own style and isn't criticizing anyone's work."

"Careful here mate." Niall says jokingly.

"So I'm sorry H but your stuff is just completely off the table, there's no way I could sing half your material, that's a compliment mate." Liam starts and Harry nods with a small smile, "Same with you Zayn, your stuff is insane."

"I reckon I'd go with Louis' album and Slow Hands as a single because I really love that song."

"Clever mate well done." Louis says as he places the card back down.

"Alright, prepare yourself James." Liam begins as he shifts the table around to the scorpion.

"Rank the voices in the band from best to..." Liam starts but James grabs for the scorpion and shoves it in his mouth. Delighted yells of excitement ring out from the audience and he and Louis share a glance before they both groan and grab the dead animal. It's crunchy and not at all tasty, he gives up trying to eat it after a few chews and spits it into the bucket.

"Alright Niall, your bloody turn." Harry says when he catches the hysterics that Niall is in.

Louis moves the table around till the Bull penis is in front of him and that definitely shuts him up.

"Niall, you have a very well known passion for golf. Rank us bandmates from most to least athletic ability."

"You've got to be joking, we get the hard questions and Niall gets to decide on our athletic qualities?" Louis groans and Harry just smiles.

"Alright, well obviously I'm the top of that list." All they all scoff at that. "All right fine," Niall resigns with a sigh and starts again, "Ah well Liam's always been a fitness junky and Louis, much to my horror at admitting this, is very good at football. Zayn's alright and Harry, you're clumsy as anything so you're last."

"Hey!" He says turning to Niall. "I run now!"

The five people around him burst out laughing and he feels heat tinges his checks for a minute, it's not like he can defend himself considering all the times he's tripped onstage and he is in fact clumsy, it's a well-known trait about him, but still, he has a bit of pride.

"Zayn You're up." James says when the laughter has died down. "You are currently dating super model Gigi Hadid and have attended a fair few of the runway shows she's featured in over the years, who is the most unlikeable supermodel you've met whilst attending one of these shows?"

"Oh I'm not answering that!" Zayn replies with his voice slightly higher. "I have an answer, several actually but I think I'd rather take my chances with the Bull penis than their wrath so..." He says and picks up one of the items in front of him. Liam and Niall begrudgingly following suit.

"Harold." Zayn says as he lifts the next card and slowly reads it. He doesn't smile. Instead his eyes flicker to Louis for a moment before he plasters a fake media smile on his face and spins the table round to the Clam juice.

"You have dated two well-known models in your life, between Kendall and Camille, who is the one you would consider as the one better suited to your personality."

He doesn't move for a long moment. Of bloody course he gets the question about his ex's. If one would even call either of those women his girlfriends, they were publicity stunts. Louis has gone very still from where he's seated on the other side of James, looking anywhere other than at Harry.

"Seeing as I'd rather keep my private life away from the public eye as much as I can I think I'll take the Clam option." He says and lifts the glass to his lips. James and Louis repeating the action in silence.