Li's POV
JJ: "Bit racist don't you think?"
Josh: "Fuck off."
Fan: "Nice to see you guys know who really runs your channels, one wrong move and your fans leave, Leaving you with no views, no subs..."
I walked over towards the man, Grabbing him by his mop of hair, and dragging him out of the restaurant. Throwing him out before heading back inside myself.
Josh: "That seemed a bit overkill."
Li: "Who's side are you on? He was just being racist and then threatened you guys, and no one is going to do anything?"
Looking at the five boys like they were idiots, you could tell Tobi was thinking the same thing.
Tobi: "Don't act all coy and shit now just because he's calling you out on your hypocrisy. He has a point and you all know it."
Li: "And besides, it's not the last time it's going to happen but I can assure you I'm more than likely to take the shit so you boys don't lose your livelihoods. Not that difficult don't you think?"
Harry: "Well yeah but still."
Li: "No, none of that, Just. Finish eating when your ready and we can head home. Josh you still have a video to do, Simon you need to vlog something and then you three need to do something. Literally anything. We are all happy for you Ethan but remember you still need to upload one day."
Tobi: "Don't want to become the new Harry with a fucked schedule."
Harry: "Oi fuck off."
Ethan: "Speaking of a fucked schedule, where's Vik?"
Li: "Home, Had to record some special video or something I don't know. I just told him to try and get it done when he could."
Ethan: "Yeah right."
I watched Simon flinch slightly as he used his leg and kicked Ethan's shin, Causing me to raise an eyebrow at the two of them.
Li: "Anyway, When we are done here I'm going to head and see Caitlin and the others and see how they are going with their own channels."
JJ: "Do you ever feel like you spread yourself thin looking after so many people?"
Li: "At first when I took on you guys I was a bit more uh, stretched thin as you call it. But after a while I got into a routine with things. And with you guys handling your own marketing for your merch it makes my job easier. But that's just because that was your own stipulation to letting me in."
Harry: "What was it like going from a small group to a large one?"
That question was always hard to answer, I mean my first group had a collective total of maybe something around the 251k subs. And now I'm helping out these guys, who are doing most of my job for me which makes it easier yeah but it also makes it harder to find shit to do.
Li: "I didn't like it at first and wasn't going to take on the job, considering you guys almost didn't want me to do a lot of stuff involved, namely speaking to reps, advertising shit, making sure you all do your jobs. Keeping an eye on your analytics for fun."
Simon: "You check our stats?"
Li: "How else would I somehow and miraculously know which videos get you a higher viewer base and which ones were complete flops?"
Josh: "You do have an uncanny knowledge of that, I guess that does make more sense."
Li: "When you guys get home, just make sure you ask Vik if he's done, and if he isn't then to at least be done by tonight, you lot all need another video set up for Ness to Edit."
Tobi: "Vanessa will be fine. I told her I'd do this one so she can go home and visit family."
Li: "Aren't you nice, and what about your own channel? It seems more and more likely now a days that YouTubers that have been around for a number of years have lost interest in it."
JJ: "It's a bit hard when YouTube demonitizes you for fucking breathing at this stage."
Josh: "That guys still outside taking photos."
Li: "Trying to start a scandal, Won't be hard to discredit."
As I had finished my own meal, I had my phone on the bench loaded into Twitter, waiting for the status to show up and lo and behold, only about 6 minutes later. A tweet sent out using the #Sidemen.
Li: "Aw he even tagged you all how nice."
JJ: "Anything bad?"
Li: "No just that meeting your heroes was nothing but a disappointment and he hopes Karma comes and kicks your ass for being horrible people."
@liweigh: "Well if you weren't a racist and ignorant little shit I'm sure they would have enjoyed your company, but you weren't. Next."
JJ: "You are really quick."
Li: "I'm good at what I do."
Ethan: "Are we all finished boys?"
Harry: "Vik should be done by now. Wouldn't he?"
Simon again flinched, again kicking Harry in the leg. And that started setting off red flags.
Li: "Simon make sure your free later, We need to talk."
Simon: "What about?"
Li: "Just some small, light things. Like making sure the person that helps you guys grow doesn't decide to change his tactics and throw you under the bus for withholding secrets from him about his boyfriend."
Simon: "Sure, specific, but sounds good."
Josh: "Could just say it..."
Simon: "We are going to head off, Li I'll talk to you later, Make sure you Ask how they are all going for us yeah?"
Li: "Oh I will. I'm sure they will be honest with me too."
Tobi: "Right, Simon, Honesty."
Simon: "I'm not the only one."
JJ: "You're fucked."
Tobi: "Anyway, Li it has been good to see, regardless what he says. Can you please let Caitlin know I want to record with her sometime."
Li: "Will do. I mean, you could just message her yourself but I will. I'll talk to you guys later."
About an hour later, after driving through traffic into the other side of London. I pulled up at the old converted office building for one of the more mature and cleaner groups I've worked for.
Michael: "Hey Li, bit early aren't you?"
Li: "I need to see Caitlin about Tobi recording with her, but I doubt she will, and then talk to Head 3."
Head three being Michael, Jack and Lewis. The three that created GRA, one of the most progressive group of friends on YouTube. Between them all being so uniquely different, they all worked so well together.
Michael: "OK, Well head on in, I think EP is doing a sewing stream right now."
Li: "Oh cute, how's the dress coming along?"
Michael: "Really well actually, I can't wait to try it out on Friday night."
Li: "Congrats on getting a gig, anyway I'll talk to you later."
As I headed inside, finding Caitlin still live on Twitch at this moment, I thought I'd come to her after I spoke to the boys.
Li: "Lewis you got a moment?"
Lewis: "Hey Li, Have you seen..."
Li: "Yeah she's still streaming. Thought I'd come back to her, How many members are in right now?"
Lewis: "Well us three, Michael, Jack is down stairs in the server room, Liam is out with Priscilla and Lachlan is trying to talk to plan out a date for him and Michael."
Li: "He's gonna have to grow some balls eventually."
Lewis: "How did the sidemen go?"
Li: "Well they think I'm stupid and don't notice when Simon goes to shut up the boys when they talk about Vik, so something is going on there, But I'm leaving it be for now. I'll eventually get it out of someone."
Lewis: "Reckon he's cheating on you?"
Li: "Honestly, wouldn't even be a surprise at this stage. The man has denied me coming over for the past month and is always miraculously busy... Probably fucking someone else."
Lewis: "So why do you stay with him?"
Li: "I'm not, technically he and I have been apart for a month now, I just find it funny that they think I don't know and don't want to hurt me. I'm half tempted to see what happens if I just confront them all about it. They forget the damage I can do."
Jack: "Are you really that petty?"
Li: "No, I'm not. But to him, I would be. And it's not petty to want to be angry and get back at a man who was with you for multiple years and then won't even have the balls to tell you he doesn't love you anymore, and instead, just fucks other people on the side. If he wanted an open relationship I'd be OK with it, we all have needs I sometimes can't provide. But no, he went about it the hard way."
Caitlin: "I'm sure many people went about him the wrong way."
Lachlan: "Ha."
Liam: "Gross."
Michael: "Funny."
Li: "It's a family affair in here."
Jack: "We are close. We may not agree on certain things but we look out for each other. The sidemen seem to have that backwards. They look out for themselves for all the wrong reasons."
Feeling my phone buzz in my pocket brought my attention to the device, and the fact it was already 3 pm.
Tobi: "So you didn't hear this from me but Vik has been sleeping with Simon and JJ, Josh was too ashamed but knows you would understand the money needed to keep coming, Ethan and Harry genuinely didn't know and I'm only telling you because Simon forgot to threaten me out of it. Look we knew yeah, but Josh lives with them and genuinely couldn't do anything without losing it all, and I was being threatened to stay quiet."
Li: "Well aren't you a convenient little plot device."
I sent the message to these guys so they could all read it.
Caitlin: "Huh, Little Vik has himself in a sticky situation."
Jack: "OK, Now I condone tearing them apart."
Li: "I've a better idea. I'll make them self destruct on their own."
Liam: "Well I'll be back up later, Michael we need to record let's go."
Michael: "But I want to see what happens."
Liam: "We know what's going to happen."
Logging out of my personal Twitter and into a fan account, which, according to fans of the boys, was always so scarily accurate that they weren't sure if they knew the boys personally or what, but everything said was true. And the account has been around a few years.
Lewis: "Oh wow hitting them where it hurts nice."
Lachlan: "I got it."
SideFamdom: "Is anyone going to tell Li that @vikkstar123 has been cheating on him for a while now? Or are we just going to ignore that?"
Seeing a number of shocked replies, some saying the account had gone too far and they couldn't believe it. But some people were backing me up that I've never been wrong before.
Li: "It's not hard for the boys to go into a frenzy about this. Let's see how long it takes for that little shit to say something. Likely denying it all. Saying how he and I are happily together."
Lewis: "And if he admits it?"
Li: "I reckon he would be on Logan Paul levels of hatred."
Caitlin: "People in the internet are scary people, but if there is anything they are good at. It's being angry at the right people when they fuck up."
Li: "Now we wait and see what happens."
Lewis: "Let's hope he's fucked himself over."
Li: "Oh wait I have another idea."
I logged out of the fan account and went into my own personal one.
@liweigh: "This... This can't be true can it? Please tell me this isn't happening. I think I need to take some time."
Jack: "Ouch, right for the throat."
Lachlan: "Remind me not to piss you off."
Li: "He's an idiot, no doubt about that."
Good Riddance.