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The Complete Fic Directory
- All I Do Each Night Is Rehearse The Pray Routine
- Appendicitis
- An Act Of Un-Remembrance
- Beginnings
- Better Than Today - Kylie Minogue
- Black
- Breathe Out
- Christmas Shopping
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- Dangling
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- Default Settings/Do You Love Me? [Part One]
- Displacement Theory [Blue]
- DJ (I Could Be Dancing) - Alphabeat
- Enchanted
- Ends (Loose And Otherwise) [Ends]
- Enemies
- Family
- Fine Time To Lose Your Mind - Jack McManus
- Fireworks
- Flat Tyres And Palm Prints [Birth]
- Flu
- Friends: A Dictionary [Friends]
- From Angels To The Moon/The Soup
- Green Light [Green]
- Hell Raisers
- Home Invasion
- Hours
- In My Veins
- Insides
- It Was The Death Of Something [Death]
- Just Like Children [Children]
- Kiss And Make Up
- The Last Time
- Lonely At Christmas
- Love Songs
- Lovers
- Middles
- Midnight Sun
- Mistletoe
- Months Go By [Months]
- More Important Than Fear
- Muddied Stars [Brown]
- Not Enough
- Of Peacocks
- On The Subject Of Angels [Orange]
- Playing House [Parents]
- The Price Of Friendship
- The Prize
- Post-Match Analysis
- Puddles
- Red
- Secret Admirer
- Secret Agent Owen
- Shades
- Shine - Skies Of America
- Slow Dancing In A Burning Room
- Snap
- So Good To See You
- Stage Fright
- Stay (Oh Darlin')
- Study In Motion
- Summertime Feeling - S Club 7
- Sunrise
- Sunset
- Teammates
- That Night In Amsterdam/Do You Love Me? [Part Two]
- This
- Three Sets Of Three
- Twenty-Nine (And A Half)
- Under A Colourless Sky [Colourless]
- We Found Something That Belongs To You [Outsides]
- We Were Strangers Once [Strangers]
- Weeks
- What Did You Say This Time?
- What Will The Papers Say? [Purple]
- White Out [White]
- The Wordsmith/Breathe In
- Years
- Yellow
- Yesterday's Promise
- 3-0 Defeats
- Barlow's Music Shop Series
- Fanfiction Challenges
- The Postcard Prompts
- OT3, OT4 & OT5
- Stories By Band Member
- Stories By Ship
- Stories By Genre
- Stories By Era
- Band-Free AUs
- Prompt Requests
- Other Fandom Fics
- Follow Me
We Found Something That Belongs To You [Outsides]
The day had been one of those suspiciously lazy days. If it hadn’t have been for the small matter of a sold out arena show Gary might actually have been able to relax. But they were about to open in Europe and so there would be no rest, just nervous excitement. Sunlight filtered through the window of the room and he stretched himself out on the sofa in order to catch some of it. In the corner of the room, Jason was pouring over a sheet of paper and Gary couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying once again to memorize Wooden Boat. As Jason reminded them every time they teased him; when standing alone in front of all those people whilst playing a guitar and singing entirely solo for the first time, getting the lyrics right doesn’t tend to be your top priority. As if noticing he was being watched, Jason looked up and smiled in as close to shyness as Jason ever got.
“Back off Barlow, I’ll get ‘em right one of these nights,” he said, eyes sparkling and Gary smiled back before glancing around the room. Since he had fallen asleep on the surprisingly comfortable dressing room sofa, Jason had not only got out a lyric sheet but also moved himself to the floor in the corner of the room. He wouldn’t question why Jason was choosing the floor over the perfectly acceptable seating. Howard, meanwhile, had gone to stand by the window and was now staring down at the fans collecting outside whilst trying to keep himself out of sight from them. Gary sat up slowly, noting that Mark was still strangely absent from the room. He glanced around the room as if Mark might suddenly pop up from behind a chair but instead the lazy silence carried on. Jason noticed his scan of the room and he shrugged his shoulders in response.
“Have any of you got any tea?” a voice suddenly interrupted the peace and all three men turned to look over to the door in mild confusion. There Mark stood, joining them for the first time since they’d been driven to the arena that morning. Gary frowned.
“Tea?” he repeated slowly as they all continued to stare at Mark. Mark nodded.
“That was why you were hiding in your scarf this morning; no morning tea!” Jason smiled knowingly and Howard smirked.
“Well if you will sleep through your alarm call…” he began and Mark wrinkled his nose.
“Have you tried the canteen?” Gary asked, trying to stay on topic for Mark’s sake.
“None left. I’ve been looking all round this place but nothing. Did none of you bring any?” Mark sighed. Jason pulled a guilty face and Howard shrugged.
“Sorry mate, none of us brought anything like that with us…except for Howard who brought a tub of Jason’s homemade curry which he thinks I don’t know about but I’ve actually been eyeing all morning,” Gary said. Jason laughed and rolled his eyes.
“I’m glad my being single is of so much use to you three,” he smiled. Howard grinned.
“Jay, I have to tell you mate, your being a bachelor is the best thing that ever happened to band meetings!” he teased and Jason just shook his head.
“So no one has any tea?” Mark interrupted, flopping into a chair. For a moment they all looked at him sympathetically.
“Looks like it’s gonna be a coffee break during Wooden Boat tonight then…” Gary sighed at last. Jason glanced back down at the lyrics then, an uncertain look playing across his face.
“Don’t worry Jay, I think they enjoy it more when you get it wrong than when you get it right,” Howard chuckled, coming to sit on the arm of the sofa.
For a little while, they forgot Mark’s crisis. Howard and Gary chatted and Jason went back to his memorizing whilst Mark sat quietly in his chair, seeming to be in some sort of tea shortage-induced trance. However, a thoughtful smile started to creep in to his features and after a minute, he stood, renewed hope for a cup of tea filling him with energy.
“I’m going out,” he announced. The other three looked at him, waiting for him to explain himself. But instead Mark just stood there, smiling at them.
“You do realise Kim will have a heart attack if you disappear on him,” Jason pointed out.
“Anyway, there’s loads of fans out there mate and we all know what you’re like! You’ll be out there all night and still not get as far as a shop!” Howard added.
“I’m sure our fans are supposed to have lives now you know…I mean outside of following us around…” Gary commented and Howard laughed.
“They do, for the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. Then they take a night off when they know our tour’s in town,” he replied. Mark looked at them sadly, feeling his plight had been forgotten and wanting attention back.
“I need tea!” he huffed weakly and Gary looked over at him with an affectionate smile.
“Are you sure there’s none inside the building?” he asked.
“I’ve tried everywhere. Next tour I’m putting it on our rider,” Mark replied and Jason laughed.
“Just when you thought our rider couldn’t get any cooler!” he smirked, thinking of the water and the crackers and the solitary bottle of wine. Howard and Gary laughed, but without tea Mark was far too deflated to see the joke in his new rider request.
“Come on Mark. You don’t want to go out there mate, your hand will fall off if you sign that many autographs,” Gary sighed. But Mark was a man on a mission.
“I’m getting tea somehow Gaz, you’ll see,” he smiled confidently before disappearing once more.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand how much Mark wanted some tea. It was common knowledge that Mark needed at least one mug of tea a day to keep going. But they also knew that going out to get tea was an extremely impractical solution. Still, since when had Mark been the practical member of the band? The screams that erupted outside five minutes after Mark left the room made all three men pause a moment. Gary shook his head, Jason smirked disbelievingly and Howard just grinned.
“Mark,” they said in unison, their voices tinged with resignation and amusement at once.
For a little while, they had watched him from the window. Mark was too nice for his own good sometimes and Gary couldn’t help but wonder how such a small man could have such a big heart. Yet the simple fact was that when he smiled at you he seemed ten feet tall. And his smiles were also able to take you right up there with him. The three men watched as he signed every autograph and posed for every picture – every person left in his wake thinking they were the most important person in the world. Mark had a way of doing that to you.
“He’ll never make it to the shop in time,” Howard commented after a while. Jason smiled.
“No…but he’s worked a hell of a lot of magic trying,” he said softly and no one could deny it.
“Funny thing is, if he asked any one of them for a cuppa, I bet they’d go ahead and get him one,” Gary added after a moment and the others laughed. Eventually they left the window. But Mark carried on, casting a soft, contented glow over the gathered crowd as he went.
Sound check came and went and there was still no sign of Mark’s return. Too busy to return to the window, they weren’t even sure if he’d cleared the crowd of fans yet. By the time dinner was eaten and Gary was in the dressing room once more, the sun was setting and the arena doors were open. Jason was with the dancers, proving once and for all that some things about the band would never change. Howard too had set off with him but had returned much sooner and was now engrossed by something on his phone. Gary was starting to get worried and to say Kim was stressed would be something of an understatement.
“Do you think we’ve been wrong all these years and this is what actually happened when Rob went?” Howard sighed at last, putting his phone down.
“Well, the press would have never believed us if we’d have told ‘em he was just out buying tea bags!” Gary smiled and Howard smirked before glancing at the clock.
“Looks like it’s going to be just you and me tonight…I’m looking forward to seeing how you cope having to do actual dancing in Give Good Feeling,” he grinned and Gary shuddered at the thought.
“Tea and women…they can ruin even the best of friendships…” Gary replied. Howard laughed but a moment later, the door opened and Jason appeared.
“Thank God for that! A man who can spin on his head, I’m saved!” Gary said and Jason frowned.
“Glad to be of service Gaz…and why exactly are you in need of a man who can spin on his head?”
“Gaz was worried he might have to perform actual dance routines what with you and Mark disappearing,” Howard explained and Jason chuckled, settling down in the nearest chair.
“Still no sign then?” he asked and Gary and Howard shook their heads. Jason sighed.
There was half an hour left before the show when a soft knock came on the dressing room door and Dawn stepped in.
“Dawn! Where’ve you been all day?” Jason smiled and Gary couldn’t help but laugh as his friend instantly turned on the charm. Flirt, show-off – call him what you like but in all good dictionaries Jason Orange actually warranted a definition all of his own.
“I’ve been around Jay,” Dawn smiled gently.
“Oh, but I’m sure I would’ve noticed your lovely face if it’d been around,” Jason replied swiftly.
“Jay mate, would you mind flirting with my wife behind my back please?” Gary remarked from the sofa and Jason grinned at him as Dawn laughed.
“Sorry Gaz, didn’t realise I was showing you up,” he replied, eyes shining cheekily.
“Anyway,” Dawn put in pointedly, getting all three men’s attention.
“Sorry love, did you want us for something?” Gary asked.
“I think we’ve found something that belongs to you three,” she smiled softly, folding her arms. Howard, Jason and Gary looked at one another in confusion and Dawn smiled knowingly, tilting her head and walking away as an indication for them to follow her.
Down the corridor, a small group of dancers had gathered and Gary tried to see what they were looking at. Slowly a smile spread across his face as he recognised the small figure on the floor.
“None of us had the heart to wake him,” Dawn sighed. Jason smiled lopsidedly down at Mark, shaking his head and Howard just chuckled quietly.
“So you called in old heartless here to come and do the dirty work?” Gary questioned his wife. Dawn shrugged, a teasing smile on her lips. For a moment they all stood there, joining the dancers in watching Mark sleep. He was curled up tight, his scarf and hat still on, and he seemed to be clutching something close to his chest. Gary shook his head. He really didn’t have it in him to disturb him.
“How can he be the dormouse and the mad hatter?” Jason commented after a moment and the others smiled.
It took another five minutes before Gary decided what to do. The dancers had cleared away except for Dawn, disappearing to get ready for the show, and the band were becoming more and more aware of how fine they would be cutting it.
“We’d better get him back to the dressing room at least,” Gary sighed.
“Wise idea love. But I’ve got to go now…look after him ok boys? See you in a few minutes,” Dawn said. They all nodded and she promptly slipped away.
It was Gary who finally sighed and stooped down to scoop the smaller man up into his arms.
“Can you manage him ok Gaz?” Jason said, a mischievous look dancing in his eyes.
“How can something so small be so heavy – what does Emma feed him on?!” Gary groaned, slowly standing up then wincing as he did so. Howard and Jason exchanged an amused glance.
“Tea?” Jason suggested, making Howard smile. Gary just grimaced.
“I think I’ve done my back in,” was his only reply. Jason and Howard couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come here,” Howard sighed with a smile, stepping over to lend a helping hand. Gary handed Mark over to Howard before staggering backwards slightly and rubbing a tentative hand over his back.
“Could you take his feet for me Jay?” Howard asked, distracting Gary for a moment.
“Oh that’s right, the torsos are allowed help but not muggins here!” he joked.
“Eh, there’s more to me than a torso Gaz!” Jason replied with a smile.
“That’s right, there’s a pretty face too! Now come on, let’s get him moved!” Howard put in and the men laughed before heading towards the dressing room.
Ten minutes to go and Mark was still sound asleep. Gary was now fully dressed, hair neat and ear pieces ready. Howard too was reasonably prepared, short on ear pieces and a jacket but doing better than Jason, who had somehow ended up wandering around in his underwear. It still surprised Gary how long it took Jason to be ready for a show.
“Are you intending to go onstage like that Jay?” Gary asked after a while. Jason grinned but carried on looking at what he was doing on his phone.
“Don’t think the crowd would mind that much if he did,” Howard observed.
“Maybe we should send him on like that actually…might distract them from Mark’s lack of consciousness,” Gary smirked in reply. Just then, Mark stirred. He let out a small yawn before stretching out, revealing what he had been clutching so close to him. Howard grinned.
“Gaz…you do know he actually managed to get the bloody tea!” he laughed, nodding towards the small box Mark had been holding. Gary just shook his head in amazement - only Mark.
“Hate to hurry you mate, but we’re about ten minutes away from a sell out concert. Any chance you could get into your suit?” Gary said as Mark’s eyes finally opened and he looked around in confusion. Jason looked up from his phone.
“You talking to me or him?” he asked. Gary rolled his eyes.
“Both!” he replied with a laugh.
Only running about five minutes late, the four men were finally ready to take their places for the show. As they made their way down the corridor, Mark let out yet another yawn and rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.
“Outsides are very dangerous places,” he concluded and the others simply smiled.
“Back off Barlow, I’ll get ‘em right one of these nights,” he said, eyes sparkling and Gary smiled back before glancing around the room. Since he had fallen asleep on the surprisingly comfortable dressing room sofa, Jason had not only got out a lyric sheet but also moved himself to the floor in the corner of the room. He wouldn’t question why Jason was choosing the floor over the perfectly acceptable seating. Howard, meanwhile, had gone to stand by the window and was now staring down at the fans collecting outside whilst trying to keep himself out of sight from them. Gary sat up slowly, noting that Mark was still strangely absent from the room. He glanced around the room as if Mark might suddenly pop up from behind a chair but instead the lazy silence carried on. Jason noticed his scan of the room and he shrugged his shoulders in response.
“Have any of you got any tea?” a voice suddenly interrupted the peace and all three men turned to look over to the door in mild confusion. There Mark stood, joining them for the first time since they’d been driven to the arena that morning. Gary frowned.
“Tea?” he repeated slowly as they all continued to stare at Mark. Mark nodded.
“That was why you were hiding in your scarf this morning; no morning tea!” Jason smiled knowingly and Howard smirked.
“Well if you will sleep through your alarm call…” he began and Mark wrinkled his nose.
“Have you tried the canteen?” Gary asked, trying to stay on topic for Mark’s sake.
“None left. I’ve been looking all round this place but nothing. Did none of you bring any?” Mark sighed. Jason pulled a guilty face and Howard shrugged.
“Sorry mate, none of us brought anything like that with us…except for Howard who brought a tub of Jason’s homemade curry which he thinks I don’t know about but I’ve actually been eyeing all morning,” Gary said. Jason laughed and rolled his eyes.
“I’m glad my being single is of so much use to you three,” he smiled. Howard grinned.
“Jay, I have to tell you mate, your being a bachelor is the best thing that ever happened to band meetings!” he teased and Jason just shook his head.
“So no one has any tea?” Mark interrupted, flopping into a chair. For a moment they all looked at him sympathetically.
“Looks like it’s gonna be a coffee break during Wooden Boat tonight then…” Gary sighed at last. Jason glanced back down at the lyrics then, an uncertain look playing across his face.
“Don’t worry Jay, I think they enjoy it more when you get it wrong than when you get it right,” Howard chuckled, coming to sit on the arm of the sofa.
For a little while, they forgot Mark’s crisis. Howard and Gary chatted and Jason went back to his memorizing whilst Mark sat quietly in his chair, seeming to be in some sort of tea shortage-induced trance. However, a thoughtful smile started to creep in to his features and after a minute, he stood, renewed hope for a cup of tea filling him with energy.
“I’m going out,” he announced. The other three looked at him, waiting for him to explain himself. But instead Mark just stood there, smiling at them.
“You do realise Kim will have a heart attack if you disappear on him,” Jason pointed out.
“Anyway, there’s loads of fans out there mate and we all know what you’re like! You’ll be out there all night and still not get as far as a shop!” Howard added.
“I’m sure our fans are supposed to have lives now you know…I mean outside of following us around…” Gary commented and Howard laughed.
“They do, for the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. Then they take a night off when they know our tour’s in town,” he replied. Mark looked at them sadly, feeling his plight had been forgotten and wanting attention back.
“I need tea!” he huffed weakly and Gary looked over at him with an affectionate smile.
“Are you sure there’s none inside the building?” he asked.
“I’ve tried everywhere. Next tour I’m putting it on our rider,” Mark replied and Jason laughed.
“Just when you thought our rider couldn’t get any cooler!” he smirked, thinking of the water and the crackers and the solitary bottle of wine. Howard and Gary laughed, but without tea Mark was far too deflated to see the joke in his new rider request.
“Come on Mark. You don’t want to go out there mate, your hand will fall off if you sign that many autographs,” Gary sighed. But Mark was a man on a mission.
“I’m getting tea somehow Gaz, you’ll see,” he smiled confidently before disappearing once more.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand how much Mark wanted some tea. It was common knowledge that Mark needed at least one mug of tea a day to keep going. But they also knew that going out to get tea was an extremely impractical solution. Still, since when had Mark been the practical member of the band? The screams that erupted outside five minutes after Mark left the room made all three men pause a moment. Gary shook his head, Jason smirked disbelievingly and Howard just grinned.
“Mark,” they said in unison, their voices tinged with resignation and amusement at once.
For a little while, they had watched him from the window. Mark was too nice for his own good sometimes and Gary couldn’t help but wonder how such a small man could have such a big heart. Yet the simple fact was that when he smiled at you he seemed ten feet tall. And his smiles were also able to take you right up there with him. The three men watched as he signed every autograph and posed for every picture – every person left in his wake thinking they were the most important person in the world. Mark had a way of doing that to you.
“He’ll never make it to the shop in time,” Howard commented after a while. Jason smiled.
“No…but he’s worked a hell of a lot of magic trying,” he said softly and no one could deny it.
“Funny thing is, if he asked any one of them for a cuppa, I bet they’d go ahead and get him one,” Gary added after a moment and the others laughed. Eventually they left the window. But Mark carried on, casting a soft, contented glow over the gathered crowd as he went.
Sound check came and went and there was still no sign of Mark’s return. Too busy to return to the window, they weren’t even sure if he’d cleared the crowd of fans yet. By the time dinner was eaten and Gary was in the dressing room once more, the sun was setting and the arena doors were open. Jason was with the dancers, proving once and for all that some things about the band would never change. Howard too had set off with him but had returned much sooner and was now engrossed by something on his phone. Gary was starting to get worried and to say Kim was stressed would be something of an understatement.
“Do you think we’ve been wrong all these years and this is what actually happened when Rob went?” Howard sighed at last, putting his phone down.
“Well, the press would have never believed us if we’d have told ‘em he was just out buying tea bags!” Gary smiled and Howard smirked before glancing at the clock.
“Looks like it’s going to be just you and me tonight…I’m looking forward to seeing how you cope having to do actual dancing in Give Good Feeling,” he grinned and Gary shuddered at the thought.
“Tea and women…they can ruin even the best of friendships…” Gary replied. Howard laughed but a moment later, the door opened and Jason appeared.
“Thank God for that! A man who can spin on his head, I’m saved!” Gary said and Jason frowned.
“Glad to be of service Gaz…and why exactly are you in need of a man who can spin on his head?”
“Gaz was worried he might have to perform actual dance routines what with you and Mark disappearing,” Howard explained and Jason chuckled, settling down in the nearest chair.
“Still no sign then?” he asked and Gary and Howard shook their heads. Jason sighed.
There was half an hour left before the show when a soft knock came on the dressing room door and Dawn stepped in.
“Dawn! Where’ve you been all day?” Jason smiled and Gary couldn’t help but laugh as his friend instantly turned on the charm. Flirt, show-off – call him what you like but in all good dictionaries Jason Orange actually warranted a definition all of his own.
“I’ve been around Jay,” Dawn smiled gently.
“Oh, but I’m sure I would’ve noticed your lovely face if it’d been around,” Jason replied swiftly.
“Jay mate, would you mind flirting with my wife behind my back please?” Gary remarked from the sofa and Jason grinned at him as Dawn laughed.
“Sorry Gaz, didn’t realise I was showing you up,” he replied, eyes shining cheekily.
“Anyway,” Dawn put in pointedly, getting all three men’s attention.
“Sorry love, did you want us for something?” Gary asked.
“I think we’ve found something that belongs to you three,” she smiled softly, folding her arms. Howard, Jason and Gary looked at one another in confusion and Dawn smiled knowingly, tilting her head and walking away as an indication for them to follow her.
Down the corridor, a small group of dancers had gathered and Gary tried to see what they were looking at. Slowly a smile spread across his face as he recognised the small figure on the floor.
“None of us had the heart to wake him,” Dawn sighed. Jason smiled lopsidedly down at Mark, shaking his head and Howard just chuckled quietly.
“So you called in old heartless here to come and do the dirty work?” Gary questioned his wife. Dawn shrugged, a teasing smile on her lips. For a moment they all stood there, joining the dancers in watching Mark sleep. He was curled up tight, his scarf and hat still on, and he seemed to be clutching something close to his chest. Gary shook his head. He really didn’t have it in him to disturb him.
“How can he be the dormouse and the mad hatter?” Jason commented after a moment and the others smiled.
It took another five minutes before Gary decided what to do. The dancers had cleared away except for Dawn, disappearing to get ready for the show, and the band were becoming more and more aware of how fine they would be cutting it.
“We’d better get him back to the dressing room at least,” Gary sighed.
“Wise idea love. But I’ve got to go now…look after him ok boys? See you in a few minutes,” Dawn said. They all nodded and she promptly slipped away.
It was Gary who finally sighed and stooped down to scoop the smaller man up into his arms.
“Can you manage him ok Gaz?” Jason said, a mischievous look dancing in his eyes.
“How can something so small be so heavy – what does Emma feed him on?!” Gary groaned, slowly standing up then wincing as he did so. Howard and Jason exchanged an amused glance.
“Tea?” Jason suggested, making Howard smile. Gary just grimaced.
“I think I’ve done my back in,” was his only reply. Jason and Howard couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come here,” Howard sighed with a smile, stepping over to lend a helping hand. Gary handed Mark over to Howard before staggering backwards slightly and rubbing a tentative hand over his back.
“Could you take his feet for me Jay?” Howard asked, distracting Gary for a moment.
“Oh that’s right, the torsos are allowed help but not muggins here!” he joked.
“Eh, there’s more to me than a torso Gaz!” Jason replied with a smile.
“That’s right, there’s a pretty face too! Now come on, let’s get him moved!” Howard put in and the men laughed before heading towards the dressing room.
Ten minutes to go and Mark was still sound asleep. Gary was now fully dressed, hair neat and ear pieces ready. Howard too was reasonably prepared, short on ear pieces and a jacket but doing better than Jason, who had somehow ended up wandering around in his underwear. It still surprised Gary how long it took Jason to be ready for a show.
“Are you intending to go onstage like that Jay?” Gary asked after a while. Jason grinned but carried on looking at what he was doing on his phone.
“Don’t think the crowd would mind that much if he did,” Howard observed.
“Maybe we should send him on like that actually…might distract them from Mark’s lack of consciousness,” Gary smirked in reply. Just then, Mark stirred. He let out a small yawn before stretching out, revealing what he had been clutching so close to him. Howard grinned.
“Gaz…you do know he actually managed to get the bloody tea!” he laughed, nodding towards the small box Mark had been holding. Gary just shook his head in amazement - only Mark.
“Hate to hurry you mate, but we’re about ten minutes away from a sell out concert. Any chance you could get into your suit?” Gary said as Mark’s eyes finally opened and he looked around in confusion. Jason looked up from his phone.
“You talking to me or him?” he asked. Gary rolled his eyes.
“Both!” he replied with a laugh.
Only running about five minutes late, the four men were finally ready to take their places for the show. As they made their way down the corridor, Mark let out yet another yawn and rubbed the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.
“Outsides are very dangerous places,” he concluded and the others simply smiled.