Ethan's P.O.V.
It wasn't often that all the boys got together for anything other than the Sidemen videos, except for maybe a birthday, so this event was something of an outlier. Everyone was normally with their families but this year it was too much of a hassle- so many were away on holiday, a days drive away, that sort of thing, so this year we all just decided to stick around home and celebrate together.
I woke up Christmas morning in my apartment, food already prepared in my fridge and texts on my phone demanding to know where I was, because I was meant to be picking Harry and Tobi up. I groaned and rolled over, glancing at the clock. For God's sake boys, it was on ten past eight in the morning! I gave them a quick text back telling them that I was just getting up, I'd be there in half an hour.
Yawning, I got myself ready. Christmas morning had always been a busy one so it was weird being home alone even though I knew I would be with all the boys pretty soon.
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It was just going past nine when I pulled up in front of the Sidemen house, Tobi in the front seat beside me and Harry in the back on his phone. Everyone had plates of food in their laps of on the backseat beside Harry and for the three of us it was a massive amount of food, so I couldn't wait to see what the others had made. They were doing the hot food, the ham and potatoes and peas and gravy, and some of the desert as well. We were doing the snacks and drinks.
Vikk opened the front door and gently hugged me around the plate of food I was carrying, grinning happily. The house smelled amazing, like cinnamon and honey glazed ham and mint and slightly of liquor, and also of pine considering the massive tree Simon had put up in the entranceway.
"Oh hey, the hat's still up there." Tobi laughed, pointing at the Sidemen beanie still perched on the top branch of the tree high above us. He had been the one to put it up there I think, in Simon's video a couple of days before.
"Yup." Vikk chirped, his hands in his pockets. "And by the way, it smells like liquor cause Josh is making the cake and it's got spirits in it. No one's drunk this early."
"Goo-"
"Except maybe JJ. I saw a beer already."
"Oh for god's sake." I cackled, rolling my eyes at JJ's behaviour. "Only JJ, of course."
Vikk cracked another smile and we followed him into the kitchen where the remaining three members of the Sidemen were busying themselves around the area, cooking, cleaning, preparing dishes, that sort of thing. Josh was the only one who looked up.
"Hey boys, sticking it on the bench or in the fridge if it needs to be in there." He said, opening the oven to check on the ham which smelled divine, honey drifting through the house. "The ham should be ready around one so have a small breakfast if you haven't already."
"Sounds good." Harry mumbled, having seized a handful of carrot sticks off the bench and proceeded to munch on them.
I only laughed. This was so typical of everyone, acting like this. This Christmas would be a happy one.
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Christmas lunch was an informal meal, plates piled high with amazing food after a morning of snacks, lying around on couches, laughing and joking as a group as Christmas music played in the background. Then again, almost everything about us was informal so this wasn't much of a surprise. We were just having fun.
Josh had his legs kicked up over my own, plates in our lap and cups and classes of alcohol resting on the floor beside us. JJ was lying on the floor, Harry too, while Tobi, Simon and Vikk were lying in some sort of pile, food and drink long discarded to basically lie on top of each other and laugh and giggle and a little drunkenly. Simon's arm was tight around the youngest boys waist and Tobi's chin was resting lightly on the cinnamon skinned boys head, all tangled together in one pile.
My stomach ached a little from the mass amount of food I had consumed that day and I honestly felt like I had gone back a couple of years. One day of bad eating wouldn't send back to them, of course, but I still felt like it would. The other boys looked stuffed as well, unable to stomach anymore food, despite the fact there were still trifles and cakes and jellies in the fridge in the next room for desert.
"What's everyone got planned for the next year?" Josh asked, sipping on his drink. "I'm interested in what you've got planned cause I haven't got much other than my merch stuff." JJ laughed, obviously being the first to answer.
"More music, more travel." He said, grinning. "Same old as this year but maybe without a fight."
"More charity stuff." Simon mentioned from underneath where he was being squashed by Tobi and Vikk. "I'll be mainly focusing on YouTube like this year."
"I'll be doing my merch stuff too." Tobi announced. "Expanding it, selling more, working out what my audience wants. And YouTube of course."
"Harry?"
"Kick Town mostly but I'll be trying to upload more." He went a little red. "Please don't hold me to that cause I don't know whether or not I will."
"I'll be doing more gym stuff and hopefully more vlogs, on top of my usual stuff." I said quietly, moving one of my legs to rest on top of Josh's now. We all then turned to Vikk, the only person who hadn't spoken, who went a little red at the attention on him.
"I can't say everything just yet cause I don't even know if it's going to happen, but I know I'm going to travel a bit, do more vlogs and try to focus on my health." He mumbled a little, but there was a smile on his face.
"Ooooo secrets!" Harry teased, but it was all in good humour.
This was our dynamic, laughing and teasing but always there for each other when they needed it. We deeply cared about what the others did and helped them out when we had the ability to. The boys around me were my best friends and I hoped that would never change but I could also count on one more thing- home was where the food was, and the other boys all knew that. If you ever wanted to summon them, it was all you had to do.
