Work Text:
Lover (Lewis): You're still coming tonight, right?
Niall: Nah, got better things to do with my time than being your groupie
Lover (Lewis): Fuck offfff
Niall: You're the one asking stupid questions
Niall: Wouldn't miss it for the world lover 😘🥰💕💘
Lover (Lewis): Awww Nialler ❤️❤️❤️
Niall: See you later babes
*****
Getting in the venue unnoticed goes better than Niall expected. There's always the risk of being seen and papped or having fans upload pictures to Twitter and Instagram. These days he's a bit of a pro slipping in and out of places without being spotted and the amazing thing is he doesn't even need a disguise most of the time.
The beauty of being able to see Lewis this time around is that his concert in Georgia lined up with his plans to be in the States for the Masters. For the next couple of months it would be harder to see his best friend because their schedules would continuously clash. And it gives him a glimpse into what it could've been like had they been able to tour together before the pandemic hit and his world tour was canceled.
He's more than happy to be observing from the sidelines, cheering him on like Lewis has done for him countless times before. All these people here to see his friend warms his heart. He deserves the world and all the success that comes his way. Lewis is easily the funniest person he knows and is always unapologetically himself. The crowd is in for a treat. It seems like sometimes Lewis forgets that he's putting on a concert and not a comedy show.
Sure he sings, but the bouts of comedy stretch wide in between songs. Not that the crowd is complaining, they quite enjoy his banter and jokes if the countless TikToks he's watched are anything to go by. In fact, he and Lewis send a stream of them back and forth to each other in their texts. A good portion of the time his own name is brought up.
Niall feels the atmosphere and rush of tour life just standing backstage. People are scrambling all around him to make sure things are running smoothly. It really takes a village to accomplish this level of perfection each night and he misses it more than he cares to admit. He greets people he's met before and introduces himself to others he hasn't on his way to the side stage. No one knows he's here (yet), but he's sure Lewis will give him a shout-out at some point.
He has to put his hand over his mouth more than once to conceal his laugh. His best friend is funny and someone is bound to catch on if his laugh carries over beyond the stage. The halfway point of the show is emerging and Lewis is doing his bit where he interacts with the crowd by reading posters and usually taking someone's phone for a picture. He thinks he knows what's coming even before it actually happens.
He braces himself and inwardly laughs when he hears, "Yeah I'll take your BeReal, yeah give me your phone." He feels Lewis's eyes searching for his backstage and gives a little nod. The stage lights make it a little difficult for them to see each other clearly but the gesture is enough of an indication. "You wanna get in this? You wanna be in this?" The question is directed at him and he nods, moving forward slightly so he's more in Lewis's line of vision.
A smile breaks across Lewis's face because he knows what's about to happen. The fans don't know Niall is here and they're gonna go batshit crazy. "BeReal," he says in confirmation and reaches forward for the fan's phone. He walks up the steps and closer to where Niall is as he approaches him. Lewis is getting into position as Niall steps out into the light and view of the awaiting crowd at the mystery guest.
Screams roar in his ears as he walks a few more paces across the stage. He allows a goofy grin to overtake his face as he looks out at the sea of faces. Man has he missed this. The buzz of the crowd and the adrenaline rush of performing. The screams continue to grow louder as a stage light is directed over him, casting the green of his corduroy button-up and blue jeans in a hue of bright colors, quite a stark contrast from the soft ones when he'd first stepped out of the shadows of backstage.
He sees Lewis is holding the phone at the ready and puts both of his fingers in a thumbs-up pose and doesn't fight the dopey grin that is sprouting across his proud face. He remains still until he's sure Lewis has taken the picture and revels in the thunderous approval of the crowd. His heart is fit to bursting, he feels the love radiating in the room and savors the echoes building in his ears, wanting to remember this moment for later. It will carry him over until he starts playing festivals this summer.
That rush in his veins and burst of energy are buzzing at the tips of his fingers. Suddenly he feels an itch for his guitar and knows he'll try playing one backstage if he can't wait until he reaches his hotel room later tonight. Lewis brings him in for a quick side hug and they trade smiles back and forth. He feels the slight dampness coming from his friend's clothes and knows it's from being under the lights.
And just like that, the moment is over. He's waving to the crowd one last time and retreating back to his original spot at the side of the stage. But people know he is here now and will be sneaking peaks at him for the remainder of the concert and trying to find him afterward for pictures. He has a getaway van waiting in the back that he plans to take to the place he and Lewis are meeting for drinks later tonight.
As he blends back in with the chaos of backstage, he hears cries of "That was Niall" and "What the hell!" He crosses his arms across his chest. He listens for another minute at the cheers and sees Lewis is waiting for it to die down before trying to speak and engage with the crowd again. "Hey, calm the fuck down!" he yells out only to be met with more screams and applause.
"I've been, I've been up here all night. I've been fucking working hard for you! And all that fucking guy has to do is come on, everyone loses their minds!" there's a slight pause and he continues on, "I'm disgusted!" and this earns gasping laughs that ring through the venue. Quite a beautiful sound to be able to make this many people laugh at once and so many times in the span of under an hour. This is why Niall loved his best friend, he was so good at this, he couldn't be more proud.
The banter continues for the next few minutes and Niall's cheeks are beginning to ache in the best way possible. The laughs are blooming in the pit of his stomach and traveling to his chest, full, reverberating sounds that cause his shoulders to shake with the force of them. He clutches at his stomach as he bends over to catch his breath. "I'll basically play two songs, I'll go take a quick piss, I'm gonna have a stern word with him." And he knows this last part is directed at him.
The most that will come out of this empty threat is them plotting more ways to tease their fans over their beers. Once Lewis takes the stage again there's a sign that harbors a question that's been asked since the night after the BRITs took place. Lewis takes this as his chance to answer the question, to "make amends" with Niall after his betrayal of kissing Harry. So when he reads out "Who's a better kisser: Harry or Niall?" he's not surprised that his friend jumps at the chance.
Lewis walks his way and feigns an innocent smile, because let's be honest, there's nothing remotely innocent about this man. He points his finger and smirks when he says "It's got to be Niall baby, you know it's Niall baby." He knows the fans will eat this right up. Ever since the kiss transpired a series of interviewers asked about their love affair and how he felt about being cheated on and betrayed. This was perhaps his favorite thing to be asked about for a couple of weeks on end.
After all, it was all in good fun and this was the basis of their friendship: jokes and banter. The fact that they got to play it up for their fans and the media was just an added bonus. The rest of the concert passes in a blur of laughs and songs. Lewis should definitely rename the tour and advertise it as a comedy show with the occasional song, people would buy tickets either way. The encore blankets the entire venue in darkness until Lewis re-enters the stage and the lights stutter back on.
Niall contemplates if he should leave now to beat the traffic or if he should retreat to his friend's dressing room and wait for him to meet him back there. They'll end up taking separate modes of transportation to meet up at the bar anyways. He'll wait, he decides. It's always nice to have someone waiting for you after the show, to bask in the afterglow with. He does opt for the dressing room and navigates through the maze of hallways.
He sits on the couch and picks at the fruit basket resting on the table. For the most part these go untouched and the backstage crew ends up eating them, but he can't help himself when the grapes and strawberries look so fresh and inviting. His ears pick up on the faraway screams of the crowd and it's hard to tell if it's from the end of a song or if it's signaling the end of the concert. He scrolls through his phone to pass the time.
Five minutes later the door opens and bounces back against the wall, the sudden intrusion barely heard amongst the chatter and bodies pouring into the room. Lewis holds a towel in his hand and pats it against the back of his neck to wipe away the remaining sweat. "Good show?" He asks once he sees Niall. "Fishing for compliments gets you nowhere Capaldi." Lewis flips him off as a response and Niall brings him in for a hug.
"Proper celebrity now. I feel like I should've brought flowers," He squeezes his friend's shoulders before letting him go. "Does this mean our fight is over?" Lewis says instead. "Only if you're done cheating on me." There's a shit-eating grin taking over Lewis's features, his eyes crinkling at their bullshit and he leans in to plant a wet kiss on Niall's cheek that leaves a lingering smacking sound when he pulls back.
"You were always the side piece baby, Harry was always my number one." Niall steps back so he is resting on the door frame. "Good to know you were only using me for my fame to reach your one true love." Lewis crossed the threshold of the hallway, pinching Niall's cheek as he said, "You know it." They walked side by side, parting ways; Lewis heading for a shower, and Niall to his awaiting car. Before he walks too far out of reach, Lewis scrambles to smack Niall on the ass with his towel. The only response he gets is the middle finger over his shoulder and he smiles because yeah, he loves his best friend.