Harry tells them very clearly. “Don’t go in the living room.”

He says it before filming starts, while everyone’s milling about and Ethan’s already trying to wind him up. He says it again when cameras are rolling, and people are scouting out hiding spots. 

“She’s knackered, she’s travelled, she’s not part of the video,” Harry insists, pointing vaguely down the hall. “Leave her alone.”

Naturally, that means the living room becomes the most attractive hiding spot in the house. 

You’re curled up on the sofa with one of Harry’s hoodies on – the soft grey one that smells like him – legs tucked underneath you, phone in hand, only half watching whatever’s on the telly. You can hear the chaos echoing through the house: drawers slamming, whispered arguments, Ethan laughing too loudly.

You smile to yourself. 

You haven’t seen Harry properly in weeks. Long-distance does that thing where it makes the mundane feel precious – sitting on his sofa, wearing his clothes, existing in the same space without a screen between you. 

The door creaks open. 

“Shh, shh, shh.” 

You look up just in time to see Simon, Ethan, and Tobi practically falling into the room, eyes wide and panicked. 

“What are you-” you start.

Ethan presses a finger to his lips. “Hide and seek.”

Simon grins. “We’ll be quiet.”

They absolutely will not be quiet. 

Before you can argue, they scatter – Simon crouches behind the armchair, Tobi squeezes himself awkwardly behind the curtains, and Ethan… Just lies flat on the floor behind the sofa like that’s a normal decision. 

You blink. “Harry said-”

“We know,” Simon whispers. “But we haven’t seen you in ages.”

As if summoned by your conversation, footsteps approach in the hallway.

Your heart jumps anyway. 

The door opens again, and Harry slips inside, closing it carefully behind him like he’s sneaking into a secret. 

“Hi,” he murmurs, instantly soft, eyes lighting up when he sees you. “You alright?”

You nod, smiling. “Yeah.”

He crosses the room in three long strides, dropping down beside you without a second thought. One arm curls around your shoulders, pulling you into his side like it’s muscle memory. 

He presses a kiss to your temple. Then another. Then one to your cheek.

Behind the sofa, Ethan bites his fist to stop the laughter. 

“You having fun?” Harry asks quietly, thumb brushing over your arm. 

“Mm”, you say. “Your mates are being loud.” 

He huffs a laugh. “Tell me about it.” 

Simon watches in disbelief as Harry leans in again, forehead resting against yours now, his voice dropping even softer. 

“I’ve missed you,” he says.

“I know,” you reply gently. “I missed you, too.”

Harry exhales, like he’s been holding that in all day. He kisses you properly this time – slow and familiar, like he’s grounding himself.

Tobi has to look away. 

Harry pulls back just enough to smile at you, nose brushing yours. “I’ll win this, you know.”

“You say that every time.”

“And I’m right every time.”

He grins, kisses you again, then finally – finally – stands up.

“I’ll come back,” he whispers, like a promise. 

The door clicks shut. 

The room explodes into silent hysteria. 

“Oh my god,” Simon breathes. “He didn’t see us.”

“He kissed her THREE TIMES,” Ethan whispers harshly. “I’m gonna be sick.”

Tobi shakes his head. “He’s got it bad.”

Two minutes pass with you chatting and catching up with the guys, then the door opens again. 

Harry slips back in like he forgot something. 

He goes straight to you again. 

“I forgot to ask,” he says softly, hand resting on your knee. “Do you want to get food after this?”

Simon squeezes his eyes shut. 

You laugh quietly. “Yes.”

“Cool,” Harry says, relieved. He leans down, kisses you once more – quick, sweet - then pauses. “One more.” 

He kisses you again.

Behind the armchair, Simon silently mouths this is ridiculous.

Harry finally straightens up, completely oblivious, and leaves the room. 

The second the door shuts, Ethan sits up. “I’m telling him.”

Simon snorts. “He’ll be mortified.”

Tobi smiles fondly. “Nah. He’s in love.”

When Harry eventually bursts back into the living room later, triumphant and smug- 

-and finds all three of them staring at him-

“You lot hid in here,” he realises slowly. 

Simon grins. “Yeah.”

Ethan adds, “You kissed her like four times.”

Harry freezes.

Then he groans, covering his face, “You’re joking.”

You laugh, tugging his sleeve until he drops back onto the sofa beside you. He wraps an arm around you immediately, burying his face in your hair. 

Chaos had well and truly commenced.

Round after round, drink after drink, mystery challenge after mystery challenge, nobody seemed capable of staying quiet for longer than five minutes.

Every few moments, another table would erupt into cheers or groans, followed almost immediately by someone insisting the game was rigged in their favour or against it.

Your team, somehow, was doing well.

Mostly because Tobi seemed to have developed an unnatural ability to spot numbers before they even properly registered on the screen.

The moment one appeared, he was already leaning forward.

“We’ve got that.”

“Tobi, this is getting ridiculous,” Becky laughed as she marked another square.

“I’m just efficient.”

“Of course, it’s literally thee TobJZL,” Pie added, though he was smiling into his drink.

Tobi sat back like he’d just been crowned champion of something far more important than bingo.

Across the room, another team erupted into cheers, followed instantly by loud, dramatic protests from somewhere else. The entire venue never really settled; it just shifted between different bursts of noise...

You found yourself smiling at it all without really thinking, resting your chin in your hand.

The drinks didn’t help.

Not in a way that made anything unclear or blurry.

Just in a way that made everything feel slightly softer at the edges. Easier to drift through. The loud voices around you started to blend into a warm, comfortable background track.

You took another slow sip of your drink, feeling the cool liquid hit your throat, and leaned back slightly in your chair.

Across the room, Harry’s table was in its usual state of controlled chaos.

George and Bach were deep in yet another argument about whether the system was “emotionally biased,” while Arthur looked like he had accepted that logic was no longer required for participation.

Harry was laughing through all of it.

He wasn't trying to steer the conversation. He wasn't really contributing to the argument.

He was just enjoying it—properly enjoying it—throwing his head back like the whole thing was the absolute best part of being there.

It made you smile before you even realised you were doing it, your gaze lingering on the way his eyes crinkled.

“Got it.”

Becky’s voice pulled you back as the sharp clack of the marker hit the table.

You blinked, shaking yourself out of the daze, and glanced down. “Already?”

“You were looking elsewhere,” she said simply, her eyes tracking the screen as she spoke, a knowing smirk playing on her lips.

“I was multitasking.”

“Sure you were.”

Tobi didn’t even look up from the card, his finger tracing the grid. “We’re two numbers away.”

That pulled your attention back in properly. The competitive spark finally nudged its way through the alcohol.

For a while, you actually tried.

You followed the screen. The calls. The reactions around the table.

You leaned forward when everyone else did.

You marked things when Becky told you to.

It almost worked.

Almost.

But the room was too loud, too vibrant, to fully settle into. There were too many things happening at once, pulling at your senses.

A sudden shout from another table pulled your attention sideways.

A loud cheer from somewhere else followed it a second later.

Then laughter — Harry’s distinct, wheezing laugh echoing over the music. His table was briefly visible between people moving around the venue, a pocket of bright energy in the crowded room.

You didn’t turn fully this time.

Just caught it in passing.

Enough to register the sound.

Not enough to completely lose track of everything else on your own table.

Still, Becky noticed the half-second delay.

She didn’t comment immediately.

She just slid the pen back across the table, her fingers tapping a quiet rhythm against the wood, and continued watching the screen.

A few beats later, she glanced side-long at you again.

Not annoyed.

Just… noting it.

Like she’d quietly started keeping count of something else entirely.

Tobi marked another number off the card with a flourish.

“We’re actually flying through this,” he said, leaning back slightly in his chair like he was inspecting his own masterpiece.

 You laughed quietly, the sound muffled by the ambient noise of the room, your eyes still half-focused on the board.

For a moment, it almost felt like you were fully back in it.

Almost.

“Got it,” Becky said again, already reaching for the marker before Tobi even had a chance to react.

You blinked, looking between the card and her. “Wait—how are you both seeing these so fast?”

“We’re paying attention,” Tobi said, throwing a playful look your way.

“I am paying attention.”

Becky gave you a look, her eyebrows raised, without actually looking away from the screen.

“That’s not what I’m seeing.”

You frowned, shifting in your seat. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Tobi added lightly, his tone teasing, “you’ve got a delay.”

“I don’t have a delay.”

“You do,” Becky said simply.

“I don’t.”

A beat.

The neon lights pulsed overhead, casting long shadows across the table. Becky finally turned her head slightly toward you, letting her marker rest.

“You do a thing.”

“I don’t do a thing.”

“You do,” Tobi nodded, chiming in seamlessly. “It’s consistent.”

You narrowed your eyes at them, trying to look serious. “What thing?”

Becky didn’t answer straight away.

Instead, another number boomed through the speakers, and both of them reacted instantly, their eyes darting to the card.

You were a fraction slower.

Not enough to lose the point entirely.

Just enough for Becky to notice the hesitation again.

“There,” she said, marking it with a definitive click.

“I was literally right behind you.”

“Emotionally behind us too,” Tobi added with a grin.

You let out a laugh, shaking your head. “That’s not a thing.”

“It is now,” Becky said.

You shook your head again, but you were smiling, the warmth of the room catching up to you.

Across the room, another massive burst of noise went up from the far tables.

Your head instinctively turned—

You caught yourself halfway.

Stopped.

Looked straight back at the card like you had just narrowly avoided a crime, staring hard at the little printed squares.

Too late.

Becky had already seen the movement out of the corner of her eye.

Tobi had too.

There was a long, deliberate pause at the table.

Then Tobi leaned back in his chair slightly, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“I think we should start charging her for every time she looks over there.”

You gasped, your jaw dropping slightly. “Excuse me?”

Becky hummed in agreement, tapping her chin. “We could increase team funding. Buy another round.”

“I am right here,” you protested, looking between the two of them.

“You are,” Tobi agreed, his smile widening. “Just… intermittently.”

“I am fully present.”

Becky finally turned to look at you properly now, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.

“Are you though?”

“Yes.”

A beat.

Another number was called out by the announcer.

You didn’t look this time. You kept your eyes glued to the center of the table.

You were proud of that.

Genuinely.

Until Tobi spoke again, his voice dropping to a casual, conversational whisper.

“Harry’s laughing again.”

Immediately, your head turned.

Instantly.

Without permission from your brain.

There was a sudden, heavy silence at your table.

You froze, your eyes locking onto Harry's table for a split second before you realized what you'd done.

Slowly, you turned your head back around.

Becky was already smiling, holding back a laugh.

Tobi was biting his lip, trying desperately not to break.

You stared at them, your cheeks warming up under the pink lights.

“…That doesn’t count.”

Becky tilted her head, her smile spreading. “It absolutely counts.”

“It was informational,” Tobi added helpfully.

“I hate both of you.”

Becky reached for her drink, finally letting the full smile show now as she lifted the glass to her lips.

“We’re just saying,” she said lightly, the ice clinking softly against the glass, “you’ve got very fast reaction times…”

Another number flashed up on the big screens.

Becky marked it instantly, her hand moving without hesitation. Tobi followed a second later with a nod, checking it off his own mental tracker.

You leaned forward slightly, resting your hands on the sticky wood of the table, already trying to refocus your attention when the loud announcement suddenly cut through the room.

“Right — mystery challenge!”

The entire venue shifted at once, a collective wave of movement and chatter rising as the neon lights began to pulse a deeper shade of purple.

Becky turned to you immediately. Her expression changed, turning less focused on the card and more on you as a slow grin spread across her face.

“Ooo, go on then.”

You blinked, pointing a finger at your own chest. “Me?”

“Yes,” she said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Tobi nodded from across the table, leaning back in his chair. “You should go.”

“I should?”

“Yeah,” Becky said, already smiling. “You’ll be good at it.”

You hesitated, looking at the marker still in your hand. “Based on what exactly?”

“Vibes,” Tobi replied.

“That’s not a qualification.”

“It is here,” Becky said, shifting in her seat and standing slightly now to give you room.

Across the table, Pie gave a lazy thumbs up, his eyes crinkling as he took a sip of his drink. “Go on. Represent us.”

You looked between all of them, completely outnumbered. “You’re all just sending me up there?”

Becky laughed softly, the sound almost lost to the bass of the room. “We’re not sending you. We’re encouraging you.”

“That is the same thing.”

“No it isn’t,” Tobi said.

“It is emotionally,” you muttered.

Becky leaned in slightly, lowering her voice like she was letting you in on a secret over the roar of the crowd. “Honestly, it’s perfect timing. You’ve been way too locked in on the wrong things anyway.”

“I have not.”

“You have,” she said gently, her eyes darting briefly toward the other side of the room before she smiled back at you. “Go. Have fun with it.”

Tobi pointed a finger toward the front of the venue where a small crowd of people was already starting to line up by the stage. “Plus it’ll be chaos. You’ll like it.”

You hesitated for a second longer, the pink neon light catching the edge of your glass. Then the noise of the room rose again — laughter, movement, chairs shifting against the floorboards, people calling out to each other as they got up. And somehow, that decided it.

“…Fine.”

Becky immediately lit up. “Yes.”

Tobi nodded approvingly, crossing his arms. “Good choice.”

Pie clapped once, a short, sharp sound. “Proud of you.”

You stood up, still half-protesting under your breath, but already being gently waved forward by the encouraging hands of your own table.

“I hate you all.”

But you were already walking forward, joining the rest of the selected players weaving through the crowded gaps between the tables. And as you moved through the shifting crowd toward the front—

Your attention flickered, just for a second, across the room.

Harry was already right there among the rest of the group on stage — just another person caught up in the same chaos, like this was completely normal.

And somehow, that made it easier.

“Hi,” you said, almost under your breath as you stepped closer.

Harry turned immediately. A grin appeared on his face the second he saw you, looking like nothing about this was unusual at all. “Hello.”

You didn’t even think about it before closing the small gap between you. The hug was quick — natural, easy. One arm each, a brief squeeze, like it was just something that happened without needing permission.

“Well look who decided to participate,” he said as you pulled back slightly, his hand lingering for a fraction of a second.

“I didn’t choose to,” you replied immediately.

“Sure.”

“I didn’t.”

“I believe you,” he said, not sounding like he did at all.

You shook your head, smiling despite yourself. Around you, the rest of the group was shifting into place, laughing, talking, settling into that familiar pre-challenge chaos. Before either of you could add anything else, Simon’s voice cut through the room.

“Right — listen up everyone!”

Neither of you fully let go straight away. You stayed in that half-second of contact, still half-facing each other, while the room slowly shifted into attention around you. Simon continued explaining the rules, gesturing as he spoke about a rock paper scissors tournament. Fast rounds. Immediate elimination. Simple enough that everyone was already nodding along.

Still half in the hug, Harry glanced toward the front. “This is going to be chaos.”

“It always is,” you said.

A small laugh left him. Only then did the two of you properly separate — not abruptly, just naturally as attention tightened across the stage.

You barely had time to settle before Simon was already speaking again. “Right — everyone pick someone. Rock paper scissors. Winners move on.”

The stage erupted instantly. Fast rounds, loud reactions, and people dropping out almost as quickly as they stepped forward. It stopped feeling like separate matches after a while, narrowing down exactly how everyone expected it to until it was obvious, even before Simon said it over the microphone.

“Right,” Simon sighed, looking between the two of you. “Of course it’s you two.”

The room erupted immediately. You let out a small laugh, turning slightly to find Harry already looking at you, still smiling.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he said.

You rolled your eyes. “Unfortunately.”

Simon raised a hand, and the noise dipped just slightly — enough for the moment to land. You stepped forward, Harry did too, and the rest of the stage blurred into background noise. Just the two of you now.

"Rock. Paper. Scissors."

Instant. You played. A beat.

Then—"I win!"

The room exploded. Harry immediately laughed, shaking his head as he stepped back. "Course you do," he said, the defeat fading into a proud, effortless smile as he looked at you.

You blinked, staring down at your own hand like the reality hadn't fully caught up yet. "...I actually won that."

"Yeah," he nodded, stepping closer to nudge your shoulder playfully. "You did."

Simon pointed a finger toward you through the roaring noise, his voice booming over the microphone. "Right—your team gets to pick a number!"

You caught Becky’s frantic signaling from across the room and called out, "Number Fifty-eight!"

The venue reacted immediately with a massive wave of cheers, groans, and shouts of disbelief. And then—

"HIJINGO!"

Your table erupted into absolute madness. Becky's voice sliced clean through the ambient noise even from a distance, screaming, "I KNEW SHE'D GET IT!" while Tobi threw his hands up, laughing hysterically at the sheer luck of it all.

On stage, Harry looked down at you, his eyes crinkling. "Not bad."

You gave him a small, satisfied look, soaking in the high. "Obviously."

Before heading back down, Harry gave your arm a quick, affectionate squeeze—a private beat of warmth amidst the loud chaos—before you both parted ways to return to your respective sides. You practically floated back to your table, met with high-fives from Pie and triumphant cheering from Becky and Tobi. For a couple of rounds, the adrenaline kept you completely locked into the cards, matching Tobi's hyper-focus number for number.

But the peak of the excitement eventually began to cool.

As the next few rounds ticked by, the game slowly settled back into its usual, rhythmic chaos. Numbers continued to be called, teams celebrated, and George—predictably—resumed his ongoing, passionate argument that the entire venue had a personal vendetta against him.

And that was when your attention, warm and slightly fuzzy from the drinks, began to drift across the room again.

Somewhere along the way, you completely stopped making a conscious effort to stay at your own table.

At first, Becky had been strict about it. She had marched over, physically guided you back by the shoulders, and reminded you that they still had a game to win. You had sat down, taken an obedient sip of your drink, and stared hard at the card. But the alcohol was making the room feel too warm, and Harry's table had a gravitational pull you couldn't fight. Less than ten minutes later, you had drifted right back.

This time, Becky didn't follow. Across the room, you caught her catching Tobi’s eye, pointing a finger at your empty chair, and dramatically dropping her head into her hands. They had officially given up on you.

Completely liberated, you stepped up right behind Harry’s chair, letting one hand settle absent-mindedly onto his shoulder.

Harry didn’t even look up, completely unfazed by your sudden reappearance. Arthur was in the middle of a sentence, George was still complaining, and the game roared on around you, but Harry’s hand instantly lifted from the table. Without a word, his fingers slipped between yours, locking your hands together like muscle memory.

To be fair, the boys had seen this happen countless times. Whenever the group went out drinking, there always came a point in the night where you became significantly more attached to Harry’s side than your own.

You stood there for a few minutes, contentedly swaying to the music, before gently nudging his shoulder. "Harry."

He finally looked up, his thumb brushing over the back of your hand. "Hm?"

You looked at him, then eyed the crowded, occupied chairs around the table, and then looked back down at him with a sleepy pout. "Can I sit here?"

A soft smile immediately tugged at his lips. "Yeah, sure baby."

Harry gave your hand a small tug, guiding you down until you settled comfortably onto his lap. His free arm wrapped naturally around your waist, your legs sideways across his lap. 

"Comfortable?" he murmured against your hair.

You hummed happily, resting your head on his chest. "Very."

"Good."

And that was that. Across the venue, Becky slowly lowered her glass, watching you completely dissolve into George's latest dramatic story. She nudged Tobi, pointing with her chin, before gesturing to Pie—who was currently engaged in a very passionate conversation that seemed to be making perfect sense to him and absolutely nobody else.

"Yeah," Tobi laughed, taking a sip of his own drink as Pie joined in on a random cheer across the room. "She's gone, and he's completely tuned out. We're the only two left."

Across the room, the game had officially become background noise—at least for you. George was already in the middle of another joke, fully committed to a bit that seemed to get more ridiculous every time he opened his mouth. Arthur was laughing, Bach was laughing, and unfortunately, so were you.

“You cannot seriously think that’s true,” Arthur said through a laugh.

“It is true.”

“It’s literally not.”

“It absolutely is.”

George looked around the table like he was expecting support. Your hand immediately shot up. “I agree with George.”

“Thank you,” George said instantly.

Harry looked up briefly. “You don’t even know what he’s talking about.”

“Don’t need to.”

“That’s concerning.”

You pointed at George. “He’s got conviction.”

“Exactly!” George said.

Arthur laughed harder. Harry just shook his head before looking back down at the card in front of him.

One hand resting on the table. The other still loosely wrapped around your waist. Not because he was paying particular attention to it. Just because at some point you’d ended up there and neither of you had thought to move.

“You are encouraging him,” Harry informed you.

“I think he’s funny.”

“He already knows that.”

“Good.”

George looked delighted. Harry looked significantly less delighted. You grinned before settling further against his chest.

For a moment, Harry glanced down at you. Then at the nearly forgotten card in front of him. Then back at you.

“You’re supposed to be helping your own team, you know.”

You tilted your head. “My team seems fine.”

Harry snorted. “Right.”

And despite the fact that George was still talking, Arthur was still laughing, and numbers were still being called somewhere in the background—

Neither of you moved.

A few moments later, another drink appeared on the table.

Your eyes immediately lit up.

Harry noticed.

Unfortunately.

The second your hand reached for it, his got there first. His fingers closed around the glass before you could even touch it.

"Harry."

"No."

You stared at him. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"I do."

"You don't."

"I absolutely do."

You frowned. He looked entirely unconvinced.

Without another word, he slid the drink slightly further away, out of your reach, before reaching for the glass of water beside him. The one that had been sitting there mostly untouched for the last hour.

"Drink."

You looked down at it. Then back at him. Then back at the water.

"You're no fun."

"Drink."

Arthur laughed. George pointed at Harry immediately. "He's doing that thing."

"What thing?" you asked.

"The protective boyfriend thing."

"I am not," Harry said.

"You are."

"I'm literally not."

Bach was already laughing. Meanwhile, Harry simply continued holding the glass of water out towards you. Waiting. Patiently. Like he already knew how this was ending.

With a dramatic sigh, you finally took it from his hand.

"There we go."

You narrowed your eyes, taking a slow sip. Harry looked entirely too pleased with himself.

Satisfied, he returned his attention back to the card in front of him. One hand resting on the table. The other found its way back around your waist without a second thought.

The game carried on around you. Numbers continued being called. Teams continued celebrating and complaining in equal measure.

For a while the weight of him on top of you was nice, soothing. His head was on your chest, arm around your waist. If you weren’t laying on a cold, hard floor in the middle of an old building, it might have actually been quite nice.

You thought someone would have found you by now. It had to have been at least 15 minutes since Simon and Will got you out and you were still in the same place, growing more bored by the minute.

“Do you think they’d notice if we just left?” you asked. You could head out, get some lunch and be back before anyone noticed you were missing.

“You? No. Me? Yeah.”

You scoffed, “rude.”

Back to the silence you went. Another few minutes passed before you spoke up again.

“You’re heavy,” you complained.

He rolled his eyes but didn’t bite back. When it came to you Harry was a problem solver, whether you asked him to fix something or not. Sometimes it drove you crazy, other times you welcomed it— even if you refused to tell him as much. Instead of saying a word, he rolled you both over so you were now comfortably on top of him. It was much better like this.

“Happy now?”

You snuggled your face into his neck, leg thrown over his hip, smile on your face. “Definitely.”

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

“Come here.” He waved his hand, beckoning you into his arms with a small smile.

Part of you knew you should be weary. There was a high chance he was the imposter, catching suspicion during the last 2 meetings. The other part of you thought he might just be feeling clingy— which you should have known was out of the ordinary during a video.

Either way, how were you supposed to deny him when he looked so sweet?

You trudged over, trying to ignore how mud coated the white of your shoes. None of that mattered once you were in his arms anyway. He was always warm. Like a big teddy bear you got to call your boyfriend. His arms were strong, wrapping low around your back as you tucked your face into his chest.

It wasn’t that you didn’t like being in your boyfriend’s videos. You did. They just always seemed to involve lots of running and poor weather. It had been freezing since you arrived at the shoot location this morning, raining on and off while you wandered around. They certainly could have picked a nicer day for it— maybe then you would have been happier to be involved.

You were just settling into the hug when he started shifting. At first he was just moving the camera, but then there was more to it. You should have seen it coming.

A sharp poke at your back made your eyes widen. You pulled away from his chest with a gasp, looking at his growing grin with utter betrayal. “Harry!”

He just shrugged, knowing he wasn’t going to hear the end of this. “I’m sorry.”

With a frown you let the theatrics begin. “How could you?” you whined, dramatically, going limp in his arms just so he had to catch you. What he should have been doing was running away from the scene of his crime; If he got caught he’d be voted out without so much as a second thought. But you were going to drag this out, increasing the risk of his capture. If your boyfriend was willing to kill you, even during a game, you were going to make a dramatic performance out of it.

Originally, he was just going to lower you to the floor and leave you there. You would have killed him for real.

“Harry, no! The mud.”

He rolled his eyes, looking around as he tried to come up with a better solution. You didn’t expect for him to suddenly hoist you up into his arms, a squeal leaving your mouth that probably alerted someone nearby to what was happening. He was laughing as you laid limp bridal style in his arms. If he knew it would have been this much work to kill you, he wouldn’t have bothered.

He went through the hassle of carrying you all the way inside so you wouldn’t be cold, setting you on the floor near the meeting room. Warm and dry.

“Is that better, your highness?”

Obviously being dead in the game meant you weren’t supposed to talk, so with your eyes still closed and your limbs splayed everywhere, you barely nodded.

Harry just laughed, wandering off, trying to be grateful he hadn’t been caught mid-act.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨ ʚɞ ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

“Guys, if I get killed again I’m never doing another Sidemen video. This will be the last time you ever see me— especially if I get betrayed again. Can you believe my own boyfriend killed me? Me? The love of his life!” Most of your rambling would probably get cut out of the video. No one cared. Talking to the go-pro made you feel less alone though, a nice way to pass the time.

“If I wasn’t so scared of running into the imposter I’d probably take my chances at one of the tasks. Knowing my luck the moment I leave here someone will be waiting—“ you didn’t even get the chance to finish your sentence. A crunch of leaves behind you had your head whipping around, finding Will standing there looking rather menacing.

He must have heard you talking and thought he could sneak up on you. This one you really had brought on yourself.

The sight of him with his plastic knife in hand made you freeze completely. He was grinning, far too proud of himself for landing a potential kill so early. You were absolutely fed up with dying so fast.

“No, please.” You pleaded but you didn’t even try to run. You couldn’t be bothered. The 3rd round had only just started and here you were facing death again. It was safe to say you weren’t very good at this game at all. Either that or you were being unfairly targeted. You would argue the latter, refusing to admit you could be bad at anything. “Will, it’s not funny.”

“No hard feelings,” he insisted, leaping forward and poking his knife into your side.

You sighed loudly. You weren’t sure if you were more upset at being killed again, or having to lie down on the dirty ground while he scurried away cackling.

It took a minute for you to realise you’d chosen the worst spot to lay in. Your foot was wet. You looked down to see it was perfectly placed in an awfully deep puddle. You sighed heavily, but what was the use in moving it now when it was already wet? Someone would hopefully find you soon anyway.

Could today get any worse?

You didn’t know how long had passed before your saviour arrived. It was the footsteps you heard before anything else. Moving quickly in your direction. Hope swelled in your chest at the idea of being found. Then you heard the familiar voice; Harry. It wasn’t clear yet if you would be saved.

He rounded the corner the same way Will had, just with less malicious intent.

The man stopped in his tracks at the sight of you.

In true Harry fashion he took the dramatic route. There was a reason you were made for each other. He fell to his knees, setting his go-pro down to get you both in frame. He was about to put on an Oscar worthy performance.

“Nooo!” he waved his fists around as you tried not to laugh.

He tugged you into his arms, moving his hands over your face obnoxiously. You scrunched your nose, trying to ignore how annoying he was being. It was all on purpose. You knew him too well to think otherwise. He just wanted to see you break.

“Why you? Life is cruel. Cruel!” You had to give it to him, he was putting his all into his little show. “I will avenge you!”

You grumbled. “Harry, my foot’s been in a puddle for 10 minutes. I’ve probably got trench foot. Can you just press the stupid horn?”

He faked another cry, “it’s like I can still hear her voice.”

If it was up to Harry, you guys would never reveal your pregnancy to the world but you didn’t want it to be a secret forever and he ultimately gave in, agreeing to make a formal announcement.

Harry thought, if you guys were going to announce your pregnancy to the world, you may as well do it in a big way. He wanted to announce it at the charity match. At the time of this decision, the match was still a few months away and by then you’d be able to tell the gender of the child so Harry hatched an even better idea.

With the agreement and help of the boys, he thought what’s better than one announcement? Two. He wanted to reveal the gender of the baby at the match. You thought a simple instagram post would’ve sufficed but Harry loves you and his baby so much that he wanted to make it a grand spectacle.

You had no idea what he was gonna do. He didn’t give you any information about what was gonna happen that day, just that you were going to be there on the pitch with him for it.

You love the man but you know what he’s capable of and you were a little nervous to say the least.

You were sitting with your girls aka the Sidemen missus, waiting for this ‘grand spectacle’ to happen. You were enjoying the match but in the back of your head, you were scared and quite excited. Excited because you would finally reveal your big announcement to the world but also find out the gender of said announcement.

You and Harry weren’t too focused on having a boy or a girl, all you two wanted was a happy, healthy baby. Although, that didn’t stop Harry and the boys making bets on what the gender would be. You remember listening to them ask about what sex position you conceived the child in.

You smacked Harry in the back of the head when he gave the boys all your intimate details.

“I hope you lose.” You muttered clutching your tummy.

“Hey, I’m investing for our little one’s education here. Watch me win this bet and give our little guy the best education a child can get.” He nudged your shoulder.

“Or girl.” You interjected.

“Well, I have money on a boy and if doggy style can tell us anything, then it’s that it’s gonna be a boy.” He said confidently. You shook your head, chuckling and rubbing your stomach.

“Whatever you are, hopefully, you’re smarter than your father.” You whispered to your baby.

The halftime show was about ready to start and this was the moment you were waiting for. Your nerves began acting up as if you were about to perform in front of 90,000 people.

A member of staff came to get you and you looked back at the girls with a worried glance. They all reassured you that everything would be fine and wished you luck, giving you hugs and kisses.

You followed the staff to the changing rooms where you finally met up with Harry and the other boys.

“Darling girl, come ‘ere.” Harry said immediately upon seeing you. He wrapped his arms around you, taking a moment to appreciate his life.

He's playing at Wembley with his best friends with his pregnant wife by his side about to announce it to the world.

He pressed a long kiss to the top of your head, grabbing both your hands.

“Ready my love?” He asked. You nodded, slowly. “Couldn't be anymore ready.” You responded with a shaky breath.

You two were guided out towards the pitch. Tinie Tempah was just about done with his set as you heard the announcement begin.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, today is a special day. Of course, we're here to raise money for charity and thank you to everyone who has donated or supported in some form or another. And because of your love and support for the Sidemen, there is a special announcement that one for the Sidemen wanted to share with you all.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lewis down there has something to tell you.”

Cheers and applause roared through the arena as all focus was on you and your husband. Harry was given the mic and began talking.

“Thank you everyone. Now as you know, we asked for some privacy for a while. Of course plenty of you had your assumptions as to why and some of you are correct.

Darling, could you show them?” Harry began, gesturing towards you.

You pulled off the large oversized jersey revealing a smaller cropped jersey that shows off your bulging belly.

The crowd was somehow louder as you made your reveal. Harry came up behind you and wrapped his hands around your stomach as the cheers continued.

You looked around at the crowd, their faces were in shock and disbelief. Some of them were crying, you looked over at your family's area seeing your parents crying with joy making you want to cry yourself.

“Hold on hold on, it's not over yet. There's something else we need to tell you.” Harry announced looking towards the entrance.

You were a little nervous about what was about to walk out.

What happened next, you would have never guessed.

Two giant inflatable babies walked out, one pink and one blue. You turned to look at Harry, he was wearing the biggest grin on his face.

“Did I do well or what?” He asked you, placing his arm around you.

“Okay, these two babies are going to fight for the gender of our child. Ready, set, go.” Harry announced. You looked at him like this is ridiculous but he was so happy with his idea you melted at his cheesy smile.

“Okay babies, I want a clean fight.” The announcer said.

The babies began fighting.

“Pink baby starts with a huge push, knocking blue baby off his feet. Blue baby bounces back, throwing a punch at pink baby. Pink baby stumbles but catches herself. Blue baby gets a running start and ooo- tackles pink baby to the ground. They're rolling back and forth, pink baby punches blue baby and oh blue baby seems to be passed out. Pink baby gets up, it looks like pink baby is the winn- wait blue baby isn't finished yet. Blue baby gets up and tackles pink baby from behind, pinning her to the ground. Pink baby is down, blue baby is counting down the seconds anddddd pink baby doesn't get up. Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems we have a winner, it's a boy!”

Cheers that seemed even louder than the last two erupted from the crowd. You felt all the tears fall from your eyes as Harry cupped your cheeks resting his forehead against yours.

“It's a boy.” You said through cries, your voice wavering. “I love you so much.” You continued.

“My darling girl, I love you and our boy so much.” He said placing a soft kiss to your lips. You looked up at him, the tears rolling down his cheeks. You chuckled through the tears as you wiped the tears off his cheeks.

“Thank you for all the support-” Harry said as he pulled away. He paused, unable to get his words out.

“Enjoy the rest of the match!” He ended it quickly, trying to get out of the public view before he completely fell apart. He placed his hand on the small of your back leading you back toward the changing rooms.

Everyone was making their way back to the pitch leaving you and Harry alone. He sat on the bench, pulling you onto his lap.

“A boy. I can't believe we're having a boy.” He said, his voice filled with happiness but wavering overcome by his emotions.

“I know, our mini wroetoshaw.” You said, running a hand through his hair.

“Would've been nice to have a mini you too.” He laughed.

“Well we can always make another one.” You giggled. He pressed his lips on yours, passionately kissing you, cupping your cheek.

“Now go win this thing.” You said as you pulled away. He placed another quick kiss on your cheek and stood up making his way back towards the pitch.

You made your way back to your seat, everyone congratulating you and cheering for you.

You looked down and saw Harry. He sent you a flying kiss, and you returned it.

Although Harry didn't win the match, he won something even better.