Chapter Text
There’s something missing.
And as Vik replays the snippet, he realizes he can’t pinpoint what it is, exactly. Over and over, he plays it, and there isn’t anything that stands out. Even as he tweaks every individual track, applies different effects, and even removes the random sound bites that are supposed to add a certain feel to the song, it still sounds very very wrong in Vik’s ears.
He sighs, hand slipping off his mouse and onto his headset as he takes it off and sets it down on his desk. He ruffles his hair a bit to get rid of his headphone hair before picking up his phone.
The home screen is set in Do Not Disturb mode with that little bed icon on it. He checks the time and immediately pushes himself back in his chair, standing up as he realizes he has a big shoot tomorrow and it is far past his usual sleep time.
Vik pads over to the light switch, flicking off the lights with a satisfying little click. He turns off his phone and quietly wanders over to his bed, letting the tiny amount of light filtering in through his window guide him as he uses his feet to feel out the base of the bed frame. Then, he flops into his bed, sheets a little chilled by the humid breeze.
Vik has been getting better at forcing himself to sleep, especially with the way the shoots tire him out, but tonight, it feels like he’s back to the good old days of sleeping at six in the morning and waking up at four in the afternoon because he spends a good thirty minutes tossing and turning, staring silently into the darkness of the ceiling and the walls, watching the dim lights on the far side of the wall come and go as random cars pass by, and resisting the urge to just get back on his computer to work on the song before he actually falls asleep.
As he drifts, he traces the outline of his phone with his hands, wondering if he missed anything.
Vik wakes up late.
Not late late, but a good fifteen minutes off his morning preparation is enough to send him up in a frenzy.
Vik manages to shower, eat a semi-good breakfast, and pick a decent outfit all in the span of twenty minutes in the quiet confines of his flat, even with Ralph trying to distract him. He rushes out the door and into his car, immediately setting the GPS to the filming location which is quite a far drive.
“Na na na na na,” JJ starts to sing as Vik walks onto the set, and the rest of the guys join in, save Simon; their faces morph somewhere halfway between amusement and pity when their eyes land on Vik.
“What’s going on?” Vik murmurs, mostly to himself. He looks around at the camera crew and the set, and it doesn’t look like they’ve started yet. What the hell is happening?
“Didn’t you check the group chat?” Josh asks.
“No?” Vik feels panic swell in his chest, “Were we supposed to come early or something?”
“No no no,” Ethan says, “Worse.”
“Bro,” Simon scoffs, elbowing Ethan, “Shut up.”
“It is worse, though,” Josh smiles, and Simon smiles back at him dryly.
“Can someone just tell me what’s going on?” Vik sighs at last, tired of whatever games they’re playing.
“Just check your phone,” Tobi says, and Vik opens it up for the first time.
THE SIDEMEN SUCK DICK
Simon
GUYS oh my god
[Untitled_14325.jpg]
Josh
how does your whole ceiling collapse…????
JJ
😂
😂
😂
Simon
Fuck off
Ethan
That donny upstairs was getting nasty
Harry
climb up there and rob them
Tobi
omg r u okay simon?
Simon
Yeah Tobi
But I think I need to room with someone for the next week or two
Ethan
QUICK
123
NOT IT
JJ
NOT
IT
Harry
not it
Simon
Wow you guys are terrible friends
JJ
We know
Tobi
love you simon but not it
Simon
WOWWWWWW
I see how it is
Josh
yeah… sorry simon not it
JJ
Looks like
Youre rooming with vik
Yayyyyyy
Tobi
im ngl targeting a man who sleeps at 10pm is cruel
but ay that aint me so!
Simon
Im actually a great roommate
Vik would be blessed to have me
JJ
Right
And im a white person
Simon named the conversation “THE SIDEMEN SUCK DICK”.
Vik looks up at them, blinking. “Are you serious right now?” He directs his eyes to Simon, who looks a little sheepish even with his casual demeanor.
“I mean…” Simon trails off, shrugging.
A beat passes, and Ethan is the first one to burst out into laughter, turning bright red and leaning up on JJ, who immediately starts laughing with him. The rest follow suit, though they at least have the decency to have a little guilt as they laugh. The bright, boisterous sound rattles against Vik’s side, but Vik only assesses Simon’s reactions, and Simon frankly looks quite offended as he walks up to Vik and drags him over by the arm to another corner of the set away from the lights.
“Look, I’m not going to force it on you, but,” Simon breathes in, rubbing at the back of his neck with his hand, “I would really really appreciate it, and I remember you saying you had an extra room in your flat, so…”
Vik raises a brow, “You remember that?” He had only mentioned that once— in passing, at that— months ago in a Side+ video, so why and how Simon retained this information is a mystery to Vik.
“Of course,” Simon says like it’s simple, and he brushes it off as he continues on in his mission to convince Vik. “We were in the Sidemen house together for years, Vik,” Simon reasons, “You already know I’m the perfect flatmate.”
“I don’t know about perfect,” Vik finds himself responding.
“I must be better than JJ, at least,” Simon argues back, though a wry smile pulls up the corners of his lips.
“Like that’s hard at all.”
“Hey! I can hear you, shitheads!” JJ yells across the room, and both of them laugh for a moment before silence blankets over them again.
Simon redirects his gaze back to Vik, determined and laser-focused in a way that makes Vik shift a bit on his feet. “So?” Simon says, looking down expectantly at Vik. He’d never been one to focus on height, but the way Simon is standing over him is a little intimidating.
“I— Uh—” Vik stumbles, and then the crew shouts that they’re about to begin. Heat starts at the base of his neck as the sounds of everyone moving and talking about the first part of the video starts to kick up. “Sure,” escapes his mouth before he can even think about it, and Simon’s mouth curls up.
“Thanks, bro,” Simon pulls Vik into a half-hug before walking over to the boys, leaving Vik staring ahead at a dark corner of the set.
Fuck.
Tobi and Harry are already lingering by Vik’s car by the time Vik finishes up on set, talking amongst themselves. They’d often hitch rides with him on days they film far away from their apartments, and today is one of those days.
“Hey, boys,” Vik says a bit tiredly, unlocking the car, “Ready?”
They look at Vik, each other, and then back at Vik before nodding, and Vik gives both of them a small smile as he gets in the car. He doesn’t mind that they both sit in the back, not really.
Harry and Tobi continue on in their quiet conversation with each other, turning towards each other and muttering indecipherably low. Vik finds himself turning on the radio, tapping his fingers on the wheel to the beat and swaying his head every now and then.
His phone pings with a new notification, and he can make out Simon’s name as he looks down for a split second. He ignores it, but he finds himself thinking about letting Simon stay at his flat— Simon seeing Vik’s entire life— and the thought settles weirdly in his throat as he swallows, trying to focus on driving. The rhythm of his fingers on the wheel turns erratic, offbeat, and he stares far past the horizon.
“Vik?” Harry asks from the back, voice a little wobbly, and Vik can barely see Harry sticking his head in-between the front seats, his dusty blonde hair poking out in his peripheral vision, “You’re— you’re zoning out.”
Vik’s gaze flicks back for a moment, and he can see the way Harry grips onto the headrest for dear life. “Oh shit, sorry boys,” Vik mumbles, turning back his eyes to the road.
There’s a bit more quiet whispering between Tobi and Harry— Vik kind of tunes it out as he drives— before he can hear someone in the back shift in their seat, clearing their throat. It’s probably Tobi, since Vik can still kind of see Harry resting his face on the shoulder of the passenger seat.
“This is about the Simon thing, isn’t it?” Tobi says, voice kind, and his eyes meet Vik’s in the rear view mirror in the fraction Vik decides to look up at it, “You don’t have to do it, you know.”
Vik presses his lips together.
“He won’t take it badly,” Harry assures, and as he tries to pull himself back into the back row, his head hits the roof of the car, “Ouch.”
In the rear view mirror, Vik can make out Tobi smiling at Harry, running his hand through Harry’s hair, and mumbling, “Be careful.” Vik feels something kicking around in the back of his throat, all fluttery and sour and ugly, as he looks back at the road, and Tobi continues, “But yeah— like Harry said— it’s Simon, you know. He’d understand if you declined, Vik.”
“I don’t think I mind him staying— It’s just…” Vik trails off, trying to find the right words to explain exactly what he’s feeling, but he comes up short.
“Just?” Tobi asks.
“Just—” Vik swallows, then sighs because he still can’t force himself to say it, “Forget it.”
“What is it?” Harry asks, curious, “Your place is nice, Vik, he’ll definitely like it! Or do you have a secret sex dungeon or something?” Tobi sighs. “It— it was worth asking! What is it then? Are you scared of something?”
“It’s just that,” Vik flips on the turn signal as he mutters, “I’m not the best company.”
“That’s not true,” Harry’s tone softens for some unknown reason, and even in its bluntness, Vik feels it jab against his side. He doesn’t want their pity. Vik knows himself. He’s quiet, he’s a bit awkward, and sometimes, silences sit a little longer than they should after he says something. It’s not bad. It’s just true.
“You’re too hard on yourself, Vik,” Tobi says, equally soft, but Vik doesn’t understand why. Is it so bad to acknowledge his own flaws?
Vik huffs out quietly, stepping on the acceleration and watching as the GPS counts down the minutes to Harry and Tobi’s flat.
He avoids their concerned gazes as he drops them off and elects to check his phone.
Simon
Are you sure youre alright w this???
I know it’s a lot all at once so
I could prob stay at Cals or smth
No it’s fine
When are you coming?
Tmmr afternoon LOL
Since its the weekend
Aight
See you tomorrow
See you :P
Vik sighs and wonders if he’s making the right decision.
It shouldn’t be a big deal at all, right?