Sidemen Shots

Commotion ~ Wroetobehz

Everyone startled, unnerved, when said rowdy man stepped forward, looking unhinged. He raised his arms, his clenched fist aimed towards Harry.

"Please, I wasn't... I have a boyfriend!"

~~~

Ethan left the men's toilets whistling, a happy tune that blended oh-so well with the little side-to-side head bobs he was performing, a gentle sway amongst the hustle and bustle of the brightly lit bar.

As soon as Ethan rounded the corner from the corridor that led straight to the toilets (men's, women's and disabled, in order), he was met with a rather upsetting sight. His heartbeat broke its gentle rhythm in order to thump angrily a handful of times.

Ethan didn't even have to think about it: he simply charged at the (obviously) six-foot-something man, his face once again pinkening after cooling from a much-needed breather away from the heated, body-filled main hall of the bar.

Even the toilets at this place provided some form of fresher air than what the dance floor and such had to offer.

Ethan felt no guilt as he rushed forward to where his friend's and boyfriend were gathered, the majority of them split between comforting his boyfriend, Harry, and the others up in the face of a bulking, riled up man. The last few simply watched from the sidelines, looking unsure really of what it was they were supposed to do.

(At least it had been the big group of them that had ended up coming out for drinks, today. The Sidemen and friends were better in this scenario than just the Sidemen would have be.)

With no thoughts but the reflexive, impulse-driven avenge plans he was creating as he went, Ethan stepped up to the burly form trying to push past the few of Ethan's friends who were purposely standing in his way, smugly standing their ground... just to irritate him, seemingly.

With well-meant intentions that could only make this newly-developed circumstance worse, Ethan pushed past the wall his friends had created in a thoughtful show of defense for their mate. He swung his first at the taller man without a care, ignoring Harry (for now, at least) as he stumbled forward with both of his hands either covering, or hovering over, his right eye. For some reason, one of them held a napkin to the purpling skin delicately, as if that was actually going to do anything.

(It seemed unlikely to Ethan, and everybody else, but Harry seemed convinced that it would solve all of his current problems.)

It came in handy when he needed to wipe away the tears that began slowly sliding down his face, inching their way down his cheeks with a burning trail of salted agony.

(A bit of an exaggeration, there. The feeling wasn't agonising; it was simply a heated, irritating tingle that burned its way down his skin in a couple of rugged slashes.)

~~~

"Why the fuck did you do that, Ethan? You just got us all kicked out, you prick."

Ethan pulled a face at JJ's words, turning to face him with a crabby glare.

"Fuck off! I didn't get us all kicked out - just me and that bastard over there," Ethan turned to point at where the man and his girlfriend were stood against the wall a few metres from them. The girl listened to the man rant with a bored expression, her arms crossed over her chest. She caught Ethan staring and winked at him, only further angering her boyfriend as he'd noticed. She didn't appear to care. "You guys could have stayed inside."

JJ paused then, his eyes wide like Ethan had just made a point he hadn't expected him to, or that he hadn't even thought about.

"Yeah, well, we couldn't, could we?" Simon asked rhetorically, a lot more sober than he had been earlier. He was still quite drunk, however. He was just in serious drunk mode, right now. He had to stay focused, be serious. "We couldn't let you leave on your own like that."

Harry sat on the curb, a few feet away from where Ethan, JJ, and Simon stood. He sat there solemnly, his head rested against Tobi's shoulder. Vik sat close to Harry on his other side.

As Ethan approached him, stopped in front of him with a soft expression, Harry frowned up at him. He looked embarrassed.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, his voice small and hushed. "You shouldn't have done that, Ethan."

Ethan frowned, then. He stared down at his boyfriend with a straight face, his eyes blank.

Ethan didn't understand how Harry could say that when the skin around his right eye was still gradually growing darker, a sinister ring of purple overshadowing the pure, natural beauty of Harry's features. It drew your attention, dragged it kicking and screaming until you were forced to give in and focus on nothing but the malicious impression left by the fist of another person.

"Please don't do it again, Ethan." Was mumbled against Tobi's shoulder.

Tobi glanced up at Ethan with a sorry expression, his caring, sober eyes sympathetic.

"Yeah, alright. I'll just let them beat you up, next time. I'll be a shit boyfriend, don't worry."