Chapter Text
“Right so today we are going to be trying the craziest Japanese snacks” Will said filling the room with his voice.
This is normal for them. Weekly meet ups for a recording, takeaway coffees and a few drinks after. It was comfortable for them both but especially for Will. Seeing James travel the world to perform his music while he’s stuck in London hurt sometimes hence why he insisted James kept his place on the second channel.
The first thing they tried was a grape flavoured jelly which of course prompted James to chime “I like glape”. Will didn’t actually mind but just for content he would react, without a second thought he spat “Oh fuck me man not this shit again”.
He expected a snarky comeback or even just a laugh but what he got was not was he prepared for.“If you gave me the chance” casually flowed out of James mouth like it was nothing to him.
Wills face flushed a deep beetroot red as he froze- caught off guard. Flustered, he quickly let out a shaky laugh hoping to avoid drawing attention to the hitch in his breath and the instant dampness to his palms- but his beetroot red complexion had betrayed him and he knew this would certainly not go unnoticed in fan edits.
Speculations are made regularly about the possibility of a relationship which isn’t helped by the boys and the fandoms jokes but today something feels different. Lingering eye contact. Will absent mindedly shuffling closer. And the lack of denial when mikey brings up their date like dinners abroad in wills latest main channel video.
The video goes as planned and once recording is over will is the first to ask “Where are we headed tonight guys”. His life has been tough recently with some friends getting married and a big breakup he feels as though he has been left behind in life. he’s stuck making silly little videos pushing the age of 30 when people his age have houses and children. He looks forward to the crew night out and sometimes it feels like his only socialisation for the week.
“Sorry lad I’ve got to catch up on the editing” mikey bellowed from across the room currently stacking up crates of prime for the next video. “Yeah you better mate” Will laughs. Suddenly he feels a harsh calloused hand gently rest on his bare knee “Yeah come on Mikey, everyone misses will and Jim content” James almost yells so the ginger haired man can hear him as he swiftly pats wills knee and stands to move across the room to grab his third coffee of the day.
Aby and Orla were both busy which embarrassingly threatened to ruin wills week. Although only a minor inconvenience to most, skipping a drink or two in the pub with colleagues on a Thursday night, to him it was soul destroying.
The confident northern man displayed on screen spent the majority of his time isolated in his London flat consuming mind numbing television or attempting to beat a pb running till his lungs burned like hell on a summers afternoon. He told himself needed to get out for something other than work but deep down he often just wanted to see James. A constant through the ups and downs of his now solitary life.
“No bother guys, there’s always next week” Will stated, internally reassuring himself of this fact. James was currently sat on his phone cradling his iced americano- Will assumed he was sorting an uber to the train station as the others packed up their stuff and said their goodbyes.
James noticed the immediate sadness on Wills face when he realised their usual plans weren’t happening. He knew he wasn’t a massive social butterfly and his best friend needed to just spend an evening not flicking through the sports channels. A free lift and a good deed? Great idea- if you ask James.
“Can you give me a lift to pets at home” James suddenly asked placing his phone on the pristine white table, genuine concern pooling in his bright eyes. “Fuck off you oaf ” the Geordie bellowed “you can afford an uber mr. doesn’t shop anywhere but Waitrose”. “ And when was the last time the great willne stepped foot in a budget supermarket” which only received an eye roll in response.
The short silence was broken when the younger man mentioned stopping for food on the way and without answering right away, Will grabbed his keys and turned towards flicking off the office lights as he passed leaving James in the dark “Hurry up then”.