- Home
- About Me
- What's New
- Comments & Questions
-
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
- Choreography
- Dancers
- Dangling
- Days
- 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
Yellow
Gary surveyed the room, searching out the table that he and his bandmates had earlier declared their official sheltering point should mingling get too much. He wasn’t sure how many hands he had shaken so far but it was officially too many and he was in desperate need of the easy company of his three best friends. Howard and Jason had retreated to the table some time ago, finally getting tired of charming the room, and they sat in the quiet corner booth chatting away. Gary felt very glad to spot them there and he was overwhelmed by an urge to get across to them as he saw Jason fall into a fit of laugher. Gary hadn’t laughed like that all night, not since they had all split off, going their separate ways into the sea of slightly drunk celebrities who populated the after-party. It was a party that they hadn’t expected to attend, a last minute decision Gary was beginning to question the logic of as he scanned the mass of people for a familiar grey hat.
Just as Gary was about to resign himself to returning to the table without Mark, he felt a hand on his arm. Gary turned and was greeted by Mark’s beaming face, wide eyes twinkling mischievously in a way that invited a smile.
“Looking for me?” Mark asked him with a tipsy chuckle. His hat sat at a jaunty angle on top of his head, his sleeves were rolled up and his waistcoat had acquired a mysterious green badge that Gary didn’t recognise. He could only speculate at what Mark had been up to.
“No actually, I was looking for the smart, tidy Mark Owen I arrived with…haven’t seen him have you?” Gary teased and Mark laughed, shaking his head before carefully setting his hat straight.
“There, good enough for you Barlow?” he questioned, a small smile still playing on his lips.
“Beautiful,” Gary agreed with a grin.
“Good. Now come sing with me!” Mark replied, taking Gary aback slightly.
“Sing with you?” he repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes at the smaller man. Mark simply shrugged, smiling back at him innocently.
“Come on, we’re all slightly drunk celebrities here…and they gave us karaoke for a reason,” he pointed out. Gary looked at him carefully for a moment before risking a glance over to where a very drunk model was wobbling along to an unidentifiable song.
“I’m not going up there,” he stated, looking back at Mark.
“Ohw…come on Gaz or I’ll give you the look!” Mark begged.
“What look?!” Gary laughed and Mark grinned back at him, a naughty glint in his eyes.
“The look that makes sure Jason always wears what I tell him to and makes Howard always let me have the last glass of bubbly…and makes you always do exactly what I want,” he beamed, delighted to see his words had the desired effect on Gary who instantly groaned.
“You’re evil Owen,” he sighed at last.
“You love me,” Mark smiled confidently, giving Gary an affectionately teasing peck on the cheek. Gary wrinkled his nose but there was a smile in his eyes as Mark chuckled slightly and tugged him in the right direction.
“What song are we doing anyway?” Gary asked at last, resigning himself to his fate.
“I’ve Had The Time Of My Life,” Mark replied with a cheeky grin. Gary blinked several times, waiting for Mark to tell him he was joking. But the moment didn’t come and instead he found himself being handed a microphone.
“I’ve Had the Time Of My Life? Christ Mark, how much have you had to drink?!” he questioned.
By the time the duet was over, Gary was very glad of the sight of the Take That table. Without giving Mark the chance to object he tugged them both over to the booth, collapsing into it with a thump. Jason and Howard chuckled and Mark flopped down into the booth shortly afterwards.
“I need a drink,” Gary said dryly as Mark joined in with the laughter and he was very grateful to see Howard was already pouring him a glass of wine.
“Is there something you two want to tell us?” Jason asked with amusement, wiggling his eyebrows at them teasingly. Mark gave him a playful kick in the shin and Gary took a long gulp of wine.
“I only meant are you ditching us and becoming a duet…” Jason joked, feigning innocence.
“Yeah…what did you think he meant Markie?!” Howard asked, a cheekiness glittering in his smile.
“Don’t think I don’t know it was you shouting for us to do the dance moves Dougie,” Gary remarked and Howard shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grinned mischievously and Gary shook his head.
Gary was happy in the safety of their corner. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy these events, it was just that he enjoyed the company of his bandmates many times more. If he was with Howard, Jason and Mark, then he didn’t really notice the setting – the world carried on around them and they just stopped noticing it. Gary was aware of the karaoke dying down and slowly fading into some sort of DJ set but he just viewed it all as a soundtrack to their discussion. When they were together it was always the same – to Gary’s mind, everything around them simply became set-dressing, props and a soundtrack with the occasional extra making a cameo. There was rarely a plotline though; a friendship so easy as theirs thrived on laid back spontaneity. Tonight, as always, Mark was babbling away and they were just letting him mutter his soft nonsense at them because it was nothing if not loveable. Jason and Howard were exchanging insults and teases and providing the perfect amount of comedy and Gary was enjoying playing off their humour with his own dry brand of sarcasm and wit. It was their very own improvised comedy and Gary was betting on Mark’s rosy-cheeked smile clinching the BAFTA.
“They should play some Beatles…” Mark slurred, sloshing wine in Gary’s direction.
“Careful, it’s Armani this is,” Gary joked, straight-faced.
“Said the man from Frodsham…” Jason deadpanned and Howard chuckled.
“I won’t ruin your suit Gaz, it’s too shiny to ruin,” Mark remarked and the other three men paused a moment to study him. Gary found himself trying to judge, not for the first time that night, if this was Mark babbling from the drink or if it was just Mark being his usual nonsensical self. Jason was the first to make a decision, placing a gentle hand on Mark’s shoulder.
“What are we going to do with you eh?” he chuckled and Mark grinned at him. Gary shook his head softly, exchanging an amused glance with Howard before taking another sip of his wine.
“It’s the hat, it makes him soft in the head,” Howard teased, grinning across at Mark.
“What’s wrong with me hat?!” Mark exclaimed making Jason and Howard laugh.
“Nothing’s wrong with the hat Markie, now drink your drink!” Gary put in, determined to keep the peace. Mark frowned playfully, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you trying to get me drunk Barlow?!” he teased, pointing his finger unsteadily at Gary.
It didn’t take much longer for Mark to slump. He found himself lying across Jason’s lap, still wittering away about something that Gary couldn’t really determine other than it had something to do with Elwood and a puppy.
“Are they playing our song?” Mark suddenly asked, sitting upright.
“We have a song?!” Jason frowned.
“Aww, how sweet!” Howard teased, clutching his hand to his heart in jest before Jason reached across to give his head a playful shove. Gary chuckled at them.
“No, they’re playing us! Listen! It’s A Million Love Songs!” Mark protested. Gary wasn’t sure what prompted it, but he began to sing along. As if on instinct, he fell into step with the song, closing his eyes and concentrating on the words.
“Close your eyes but don’t forget…” he sang softly, hardly aware he was doing it. Suddenly, Mark stretched across the table.
“Aw Gaz! That’s lovely! Listen Jay, he’s serenading me!” he said happily, putting his hands on top of Gary’s. Gary opened his eyes and looked at Mark steadily, an amused smile on his face.
“We’re going to have to get these two a room at this rate,” Howard grimaced. Jason laughed but Gary swotted at Howard gently.
“Come on Dougie, you know what he’s like! Little guy’s got so much love to go around when he’s sober that getting him drunk just opens the floodgates!” he said with an affectionate glance in Mark’s direction as the smaller man flopped back down into Jason’s lap.
There came a point in every evening out that they realised they needed to get Mark home. The signal wasn’t always the same, but the three of them usually picked up on it at the same moment. This particular evening the sign was long in coming. Mark was unusually floppy but not in any obvious need of a bed so they left him be. But then the music changed.
“Look how they shine for you!” Mark sang along lazily from his place on Jason’s lap.
“Is he singing along to Coldplay?” Jason frowned, looking at Mark in concern.
“And it was called yell-oww!” was Mark’s only comment and Howard chuckled.
“Definitely time to get him home then! Coldplay are much too mellow for Markie – sure sign he’s worn out that is,” he said with a small shake of his head.
“Well we can’t get him out in this state,” Gary sighed.
“Tell you what, I’ll go outside and check on the camera situation – you two try and get ‘im standing,” Howard replied, getting up and heading for the door. Jason and Gary exchanged a glance before making a move to help Mark up.
“You know I love you so…” Mark slurred into Jason’s shoulder and Jason smiled at him softly.
“Are you saying that coz you really do love me or are you just singing along?” he asked as Mark wobbled. The smaller man looked up at him with a wide-eyed and slightly unfocused smile.
“Even 100% sober I know I love you Jay…but I’m not sober right now…so I was just singing,” he replied with a small nod. Jason and Gary laughed at him, both reaching out their arms to steady him on his feet.
“God bless ya mate,” Gary chuckled.
“And it was all yell-oww!” Mark responded enthusiastically, grinning brightly.
After a few minutes, Howard resurfaced. Jason was the most grateful as he had somehow ended up carrying Mark and he was beginning to realise just how heavy the pint-size popstar was. As Howard walked up to them, he was amused to see Mark struggling in Jason’s arms.
“I can stand by meself Jay!” he protested.
“Mmm,” Jason responded without looking down.
“How’s it looking out there?” Gary asked.
“Well, if you’re quick, then we should get him out with his reputation intact. That Sarah out of Girls Aloud is rolling around outside and I’m not entirely sure she’s even half as sober as our Markie here…good enough distraction I think,” Howard grinned.
“Is she still out there?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
“Concentrate Orange – no flirting ‘til we’ve got Mark back to mine!” Gary warned with a grin.
“Great – I’ll only be chatting up Howard tonight then,” Jason sighed and Howard grinned at him broadly as Mark continued to struggle in his arms.
“Put me down!” Mark whined.
“Alright alright, stop your fussing!” Jason replied, setting Mark back down on the ground. Mark wobbled slightly, looking unsteady, and Gary put a gentle hand on the small of his back.
“Easy now,” Gary smiled, unable to prevent the soft laugh which escaped his lips as Mark swayed backwards into the pressure of his palm.
“Standing all by yourself Mark?” Jason remarked pointedly and Mark simply pouted.
“Come on, let’s go and get some coffee in him,” Gary said quickly, steering Mark in the direction of the door. Howard and Jason exchanged a glance before Jason shrugged and they headed off behind Gary and Mark.
Once they were all in Gary’s living room, the mission to sober Mark up before returning him to Emma was planned out and ready to be put into action. Howard deposited Mark carefully on the sofa whilst Jason phoned Emma and Gary made the coffee. It was hard to notice whether or not Mark was sobering up – Gary had long ago realised that much of the slurred affection Mark came out with when he was drunk was actually just a slightly less thought-through version of the fluff and nonsense he came out with on a daily basis. But it had to be said that by the time he was sitting upright and chattering away to Jason, Gary was pretty confident they had made progress. The TV was on in the background but yet again Gary felt that their friendship had put the rest of the world into fade. When the four of them were together it was as if everything around them slipped into greyscale, leaving them as the last bright spots of colour Gary could see.
Just when Gary was starting to believe their evening had returned to some semblance of normal, Mark had noticed the song playing on the TV.
“It’s our song!” Mark exclaimed, a grin filling up his face and Gary was convinced he could see stars in the younger man’s eyes.
“I don’t hear any of our songs…” Jason frowned.
“No! Mine and Gary’s song! Gary, dance with me!” Mark explained, looking at Gary with those warm blue-green eyes of his.
“Our song?” Gary asked, looking at Mark sceptically.
“You have a song!” Howard exclaimed, clapping his hands together with teasing glee.
“Yellow!” Mark told Gary, ignoring Howard and getting up to pull Gary into the centre of the room. Jason and Howard watched in bemusement as Mark wrapped his arms around Gary’s middle and forced him into a slow dance as Chris Martin’s voice drifted across from the TV.
“And they were called yell-oww!” Mark mumbled, tapping a finger into Gary’s chest on the beats. Gary gave him a quizzical look.
“You’re something else Marko,” he smirked softly and Mark just grinned back up at him.
Jason and Howard continued to watch from the sofa as their friends went on with their impromptu slow dance.
“I feel left out now…Jay, will you dance with me?” Howard asked with a gentle smirk. Jason carried on watching Gary and Mark for a moment.
“Tell you what, put on some lipstick and a wig and fetch me a bottle of something strong then you can do whatever the hell you like with me,” he replied dryly, staring straight ahead. Howard paused a moment before spluttering with laughter and giving Jason a shove. Gary glanced over Mark’s head at the playful fight erupting on the sofa and he smiled to himself. Maybe this was their definition of normal – a bit weird round the edges but since when had conventional ever been any fun?
The next morning, Gary was slightly surprised when he didn’t find his three friends still up cluttering his living room, though he was pleased that each had left a small message on his answer phone assuring him they had returned home in one piece. Unable to resist curiosity, Gary had checked the papers to see if Mark’s reputation was still spotless. And of course, it was. Gary realised he ought to know by now that Mark could never put a foot wrong in the eye of his adoring British public. Mark was the one who would get drunk and Jason would always be the one to get the blame. ‘Take That fail to have Patience with band member Jason and get him back home early to sober up’ was the caption and as Gary read it he shook his head. They would not be hearing the last of this from Jason for some time. Before turning to his crossword, Gary couldn’t help but let out a sly smile as a mischievous thought occurred to him.
When Dawn came to the paper later that day, she smiled at the picture; Mark beaming giddily, Gary at his side with a steadying hand on his back, Howard’s laughing face just visible over Gary’s shoulder and Jason’s head tipped slightly into the crook of Howard’s neck as he too laughed warmly. But then she glanced down. Instead of the neat little caption with its poor pun and misinformation, Dawn saw a pencil scribble underneath which Gary had written his own personal summary of the night; ‘And it was all yell-oww!’ the new caption read. Dawn didn’t even want to ask.
Just as Gary was about to resign himself to returning to the table without Mark, he felt a hand on his arm. Gary turned and was greeted by Mark’s beaming face, wide eyes twinkling mischievously in a way that invited a smile.
“Looking for me?” Mark asked him with a tipsy chuckle. His hat sat at a jaunty angle on top of his head, his sleeves were rolled up and his waistcoat had acquired a mysterious green badge that Gary didn’t recognise. He could only speculate at what Mark had been up to.
“No actually, I was looking for the smart, tidy Mark Owen I arrived with…haven’t seen him have you?” Gary teased and Mark laughed, shaking his head before carefully setting his hat straight.
“There, good enough for you Barlow?” he questioned, a small smile still playing on his lips.
“Beautiful,” Gary agreed with a grin.
“Good. Now come sing with me!” Mark replied, taking Gary aback slightly.
“Sing with you?” he repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes at the smaller man. Mark simply shrugged, smiling back at him innocently.
“Come on, we’re all slightly drunk celebrities here…and they gave us karaoke for a reason,” he pointed out. Gary looked at him carefully for a moment before risking a glance over to where a very drunk model was wobbling along to an unidentifiable song.
“I’m not going up there,” he stated, looking back at Mark.
“Ohw…come on Gaz or I’ll give you the look!” Mark begged.
“What look?!” Gary laughed and Mark grinned back at him, a naughty glint in his eyes.
“The look that makes sure Jason always wears what I tell him to and makes Howard always let me have the last glass of bubbly…and makes you always do exactly what I want,” he beamed, delighted to see his words had the desired effect on Gary who instantly groaned.
“You’re evil Owen,” he sighed at last.
“You love me,” Mark smiled confidently, giving Gary an affectionately teasing peck on the cheek. Gary wrinkled his nose but there was a smile in his eyes as Mark chuckled slightly and tugged him in the right direction.
“What song are we doing anyway?” Gary asked at last, resigning himself to his fate.
“I’ve Had The Time Of My Life,” Mark replied with a cheeky grin. Gary blinked several times, waiting for Mark to tell him he was joking. But the moment didn’t come and instead he found himself being handed a microphone.
“I’ve Had the Time Of My Life? Christ Mark, how much have you had to drink?!” he questioned.
By the time the duet was over, Gary was very glad of the sight of the Take That table. Without giving Mark the chance to object he tugged them both over to the booth, collapsing into it with a thump. Jason and Howard chuckled and Mark flopped down into the booth shortly afterwards.
“I need a drink,” Gary said dryly as Mark joined in with the laughter and he was very grateful to see Howard was already pouring him a glass of wine.
“Is there something you two want to tell us?” Jason asked with amusement, wiggling his eyebrows at them teasingly. Mark gave him a playful kick in the shin and Gary took a long gulp of wine.
“I only meant are you ditching us and becoming a duet…” Jason joked, feigning innocence.
“Yeah…what did you think he meant Markie?!” Howard asked, a cheekiness glittering in his smile.
“Don’t think I don’t know it was you shouting for us to do the dance moves Dougie,” Gary remarked and Howard shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grinned mischievously and Gary shook his head.
Gary was happy in the safety of their corner. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy these events, it was just that he enjoyed the company of his bandmates many times more. If he was with Howard, Jason and Mark, then he didn’t really notice the setting – the world carried on around them and they just stopped noticing it. Gary was aware of the karaoke dying down and slowly fading into some sort of DJ set but he just viewed it all as a soundtrack to their discussion. When they were together it was always the same – to Gary’s mind, everything around them simply became set-dressing, props and a soundtrack with the occasional extra making a cameo. There was rarely a plotline though; a friendship so easy as theirs thrived on laid back spontaneity. Tonight, as always, Mark was babbling away and they were just letting him mutter his soft nonsense at them because it was nothing if not loveable. Jason and Howard were exchanging insults and teases and providing the perfect amount of comedy and Gary was enjoying playing off their humour with his own dry brand of sarcasm and wit. It was their very own improvised comedy and Gary was betting on Mark’s rosy-cheeked smile clinching the BAFTA.
“They should play some Beatles…” Mark slurred, sloshing wine in Gary’s direction.
“Careful, it’s Armani this is,” Gary joked, straight-faced.
“Said the man from Frodsham…” Jason deadpanned and Howard chuckled.
“I won’t ruin your suit Gaz, it’s too shiny to ruin,” Mark remarked and the other three men paused a moment to study him. Gary found himself trying to judge, not for the first time that night, if this was Mark babbling from the drink or if it was just Mark being his usual nonsensical self. Jason was the first to make a decision, placing a gentle hand on Mark’s shoulder.
“What are we going to do with you eh?” he chuckled and Mark grinned at him. Gary shook his head softly, exchanging an amused glance with Howard before taking another sip of his wine.
“It’s the hat, it makes him soft in the head,” Howard teased, grinning across at Mark.
“What’s wrong with me hat?!” Mark exclaimed making Jason and Howard laugh.
“Nothing’s wrong with the hat Markie, now drink your drink!” Gary put in, determined to keep the peace. Mark frowned playfully, narrowing his eyes.
“Are you trying to get me drunk Barlow?!” he teased, pointing his finger unsteadily at Gary.
It didn’t take much longer for Mark to slump. He found himself lying across Jason’s lap, still wittering away about something that Gary couldn’t really determine other than it had something to do with Elwood and a puppy.
“Are they playing our song?” Mark suddenly asked, sitting upright.
“We have a song?!” Jason frowned.
“Aww, how sweet!” Howard teased, clutching his hand to his heart in jest before Jason reached across to give his head a playful shove. Gary chuckled at them.
“No, they’re playing us! Listen! It’s A Million Love Songs!” Mark protested. Gary wasn’t sure what prompted it, but he began to sing along. As if on instinct, he fell into step with the song, closing his eyes and concentrating on the words.
“Close your eyes but don’t forget…” he sang softly, hardly aware he was doing it. Suddenly, Mark stretched across the table.
“Aw Gaz! That’s lovely! Listen Jay, he’s serenading me!” he said happily, putting his hands on top of Gary’s. Gary opened his eyes and looked at Mark steadily, an amused smile on his face.
“We’re going to have to get these two a room at this rate,” Howard grimaced. Jason laughed but Gary swotted at Howard gently.
“Come on Dougie, you know what he’s like! Little guy’s got so much love to go around when he’s sober that getting him drunk just opens the floodgates!” he said with an affectionate glance in Mark’s direction as the smaller man flopped back down into Jason’s lap.
There came a point in every evening out that they realised they needed to get Mark home. The signal wasn’t always the same, but the three of them usually picked up on it at the same moment. This particular evening the sign was long in coming. Mark was unusually floppy but not in any obvious need of a bed so they left him be. But then the music changed.
“Look how they shine for you!” Mark sang along lazily from his place on Jason’s lap.
“Is he singing along to Coldplay?” Jason frowned, looking at Mark in concern.
“And it was called yell-oww!” was Mark’s only comment and Howard chuckled.
“Definitely time to get him home then! Coldplay are much too mellow for Markie – sure sign he’s worn out that is,” he said with a small shake of his head.
“Well we can’t get him out in this state,” Gary sighed.
“Tell you what, I’ll go outside and check on the camera situation – you two try and get ‘im standing,” Howard replied, getting up and heading for the door. Jason and Gary exchanged a glance before making a move to help Mark up.
“You know I love you so…” Mark slurred into Jason’s shoulder and Jason smiled at him softly.
“Are you saying that coz you really do love me or are you just singing along?” he asked as Mark wobbled. The smaller man looked up at him with a wide-eyed and slightly unfocused smile.
“Even 100% sober I know I love you Jay…but I’m not sober right now…so I was just singing,” he replied with a small nod. Jason and Gary laughed at him, both reaching out their arms to steady him on his feet.
“God bless ya mate,” Gary chuckled.
“And it was all yell-oww!” Mark responded enthusiastically, grinning brightly.
After a few minutes, Howard resurfaced. Jason was the most grateful as he had somehow ended up carrying Mark and he was beginning to realise just how heavy the pint-size popstar was. As Howard walked up to them, he was amused to see Mark struggling in Jason’s arms.
“I can stand by meself Jay!” he protested.
“Mmm,” Jason responded without looking down.
“How’s it looking out there?” Gary asked.
“Well, if you’re quick, then we should get him out with his reputation intact. That Sarah out of Girls Aloud is rolling around outside and I’m not entirely sure she’s even half as sober as our Markie here…good enough distraction I think,” Howard grinned.
“Is she still out there?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.
“Concentrate Orange – no flirting ‘til we’ve got Mark back to mine!” Gary warned with a grin.
“Great – I’ll only be chatting up Howard tonight then,” Jason sighed and Howard grinned at him broadly as Mark continued to struggle in his arms.
“Put me down!” Mark whined.
“Alright alright, stop your fussing!” Jason replied, setting Mark back down on the ground. Mark wobbled slightly, looking unsteady, and Gary put a gentle hand on the small of his back.
“Easy now,” Gary smiled, unable to prevent the soft laugh which escaped his lips as Mark swayed backwards into the pressure of his palm.
“Standing all by yourself Mark?” Jason remarked pointedly and Mark simply pouted.
“Come on, let’s go and get some coffee in him,” Gary said quickly, steering Mark in the direction of the door. Howard and Jason exchanged a glance before Jason shrugged and they headed off behind Gary and Mark.
Once they were all in Gary’s living room, the mission to sober Mark up before returning him to Emma was planned out and ready to be put into action. Howard deposited Mark carefully on the sofa whilst Jason phoned Emma and Gary made the coffee. It was hard to notice whether or not Mark was sobering up – Gary had long ago realised that much of the slurred affection Mark came out with when he was drunk was actually just a slightly less thought-through version of the fluff and nonsense he came out with on a daily basis. But it had to be said that by the time he was sitting upright and chattering away to Jason, Gary was pretty confident they had made progress. The TV was on in the background but yet again Gary felt that their friendship had put the rest of the world into fade. When the four of them were together it was as if everything around them slipped into greyscale, leaving them as the last bright spots of colour Gary could see.
Just when Gary was starting to believe their evening had returned to some semblance of normal, Mark had noticed the song playing on the TV.
“It’s our song!” Mark exclaimed, a grin filling up his face and Gary was convinced he could see stars in the younger man’s eyes.
“I don’t hear any of our songs…” Jason frowned.
“No! Mine and Gary’s song! Gary, dance with me!” Mark explained, looking at Gary with those warm blue-green eyes of his.
“Our song?” Gary asked, looking at Mark sceptically.
“You have a song!” Howard exclaimed, clapping his hands together with teasing glee.
“Yellow!” Mark told Gary, ignoring Howard and getting up to pull Gary into the centre of the room. Jason and Howard watched in bemusement as Mark wrapped his arms around Gary’s middle and forced him into a slow dance as Chris Martin’s voice drifted across from the TV.
“And they were called yell-oww!” Mark mumbled, tapping a finger into Gary’s chest on the beats. Gary gave him a quizzical look.
“You’re something else Marko,” he smirked softly and Mark just grinned back up at him.
Jason and Howard continued to watch from the sofa as their friends went on with their impromptu slow dance.
“I feel left out now…Jay, will you dance with me?” Howard asked with a gentle smirk. Jason carried on watching Gary and Mark for a moment.
“Tell you what, put on some lipstick and a wig and fetch me a bottle of something strong then you can do whatever the hell you like with me,” he replied dryly, staring straight ahead. Howard paused a moment before spluttering with laughter and giving Jason a shove. Gary glanced over Mark’s head at the playful fight erupting on the sofa and he smiled to himself. Maybe this was their definition of normal – a bit weird round the edges but since when had conventional ever been any fun?
The next morning, Gary was slightly surprised when he didn’t find his three friends still up cluttering his living room, though he was pleased that each had left a small message on his answer phone assuring him they had returned home in one piece. Unable to resist curiosity, Gary had checked the papers to see if Mark’s reputation was still spotless. And of course, it was. Gary realised he ought to know by now that Mark could never put a foot wrong in the eye of his adoring British public. Mark was the one who would get drunk and Jason would always be the one to get the blame. ‘Take That fail to have Patience with band member Jason and get him back home early to sober up’ was the caption and as Gary read it he shook his head. They would not be hearing the last of this from Jason for some time. Before turning to his crossword, Gary couldn’t help but let out a sly smile as a mischievous thought occurred to him.
When Dawn came to the paper later that day, she smiled at the picture; Mark beaming giddily, Gary at his side with a steadying hand on his back, Howard’s laughing face just visible over Gary’s shoulder and Jason’s head tipped slightly into the crook of Howard’s neck as he too laughed warmly. But then she glanced down. Instead of the neat little caption with its poor pun and misinformation, Dawn saw a pencil scribble underneath which Gary had written his own personal summary of the night; ‘And it was all yell-oww!’ the new caption read. Dawn didn’t even want to ask.