You Are My Mountain, You Are My Sea

When Jack found out he’d be having a hotel night the day they were to record the video for their newest single, Backseat Serenade, he was on the phone to Sam within minutes and they were planning her trip up to stay with him within seconds. Matt was instructed to get Jack a separate double room at the hotel and he just agreed with a smile; Jack always gets so happy when he knows he gets to see Sam again in a few days, and with touring being as lonely as it is, it’s always nice to see your friend happy. When one of the guys is over-the-moon, bouncing off the walls happy, usually because a girlfriend is coming down to see them, it spreads through the whole group and makes them all feel happier and a little less lonely.

They’ve only been on the set for an hour or so, after a very early start, when Sam arrives. She just sort of sneaks in, putting her bags and jacket down in the cloakroom where it seems everyone else had done the same and follows through a few corridors, past a large lobster costume and into the main arcade where a section has been roped off for the band. Not completely sure what’s going on, she goes to stand at the side with Matt and Danny since it seems like Jack’s in the middle of a take.
“It’s good to see you” Danny says as soon as he sees her, pulling her into a firm hug, Matt does the same soon afterwards, giving her hair a quick ruffle, making her pout and hit his arm in retaliation.
“He’s been jumpy all morning, I don’t think he’s expecting you for another forty minutes or so” Matt smiles when he lets her go.
“I left super early” Sam admits, she skipped breakfast to see Jack as soon as she could.

Over time she’s fully become a part of the group, and over time she’s become more and more comfortable around them. At the start she’d struggled to talk around them without Jack being there because they were all so confident and they all knew each other so well and she’d just felt like an outsider. But with a lot of pushing from Jack, who just knew all the guys were going to love her, it didn’t take long for her to find her feet and gain her confidence, much to Jack’s happiness because as far as he’s concerned you just can’t not love Sam, he doesn’t honestly see how it’s possible. The lot of them, minus Sam and Jack of course, have made a silent pact that if anything happens between the couple they won’t rest until things are right between them again. They really like Sam, almost more than they like Jack, and they really hope she’s going to stick around for a long time.

Matt tries to explain to Sam what’s going on with the music video, more specifically why there’s a giant furry animal suit sitting in the corner
“They’re wearing the suits later” he explains “Alex knows the thinking behind it, I’m just here because I have to be and I think it’ll be funny”. They wait until the boys have finished whatever take it is they’re doing, and then Sam heads over to Jack who’s stood on his own doing something with his phone, probably texting her. She creeps up behind him and squeezes his sides to make him jump, Jack lets out a little yelp of surprise and Sam giggles as she wraps her arms fully around his middle and moves round to his side
“Hi” she smiles at him, leaning up onto her toes as he leans down to press a kiss to her lips
“I wasn’t expecting you yet” he smiles back as his arms find their way to her waist “I’m not complaining though”
“I set off extra early” she explains, snuggling a bit more into his side and punctuating her statement with a little yawn that she tries to suppress
“Nice to see you, Sam” Alex calls out to them when he sees she’s arrived.
“You too Alex” she calls back but doesn’t move an inch away from Jack’s side “Is there any food here? I skipped breakfast.” she looks up to him and he laughs a little for no other reason than because he’s happy.
“Yeah, we can get something now” he tells her, dropping his arms but tangling their fingers together and relishing the warmth of her palm against his. He really fucking misses her when he’s away.

They catch up while they eat, sitting next to each other because they just like being close to each other and telling each other the stories that they’ve already heard on webcam or over the phone but they still laugh and smile because it’s so much better when Jack can see the way Sam’s eyes light up when she talks about her songwriting and Sam can watch Jack’s expressive hand motions and laugh at his ridiculous impressions of Matt when he’s late to bus call and Alex when he’s drunk.
“I missed you” she says finally when a moment of quiet takes them and his smile pulls up a little
“You know I missed you too” he tells her and leans in to kiss her once more, as if to prove his point but really because he’s kind of been craving it. His hand goes to her cheek and hers sit at his waist as they both try to contain a few months of not actually being with each other into something suitable in a public place where there are actually quite a lot of people around.

After their little reunion lunch they’re back to their usual messing about and just generally not wasting the time they have together, treating it more like a day together than a video shoot.
“I bet” Jack begins after finishing a take performing in the suit “we can fit both of us into this.” He says it as if it’s a challenge and Sam laughs, looking up to him and he just nods down to the huge furry animal suit he’s wearing. An invitation.
“I don’t think it’ll work” she says but her tone suggests to Jack that she’s considering it, like genuinely considering it.
“It’s worth a try.” he grins and she can’t help that her lips tug upward as they connect eyes. Blue and brown, each with it’s own little mischievous glint.

Twenty minutes later and Sam’s head is just next to Jack’s in the suit, she’s standing on his feet so they can move easily but also because if she didn’t, her head wouldn’t properly reach out of the hole in the top. It’s a tight fit but it’s funny and Jack’s latched his fingers around hers in the hands and they’re navigating the room looking like a giant, furry, two-headed robot.
“You actually smell so bad” Sam giggles and Jack bites her ear in protest and she tries to headbut him in return
“I’ve been in this fucking suit for like an hour now, cut me some slack. Seriously.”
“You can’t be offended, I mean, you smell bad at the best of times, but this is just a new low” she teases and he feigns offence. If they weren’t sharing the suit, he’d probably chase her and tickle her into submission and he’s not going to give that up, quickly pulling one of his arms out of the arm of the suit to squeeze her side and she squeals in surprise and then it’s a mess of limbs and fur as she tries to get him away from her in the confines of the suit.
“Jack” she squeaks out through her laughs and tries to move away from him, only resulting in both of them falling to the floor, though the suit does cushion the landing

Upon seeing, and hearing what Sam and Jack have done, Alex and Evan try to do the same, but neither are quite as small as Sam so it just results in a lot of noise, a fair amount of bruises and some quite dramatic falls. Before Matt even knows what’s happening and can even attempt to get them back on task, they’re sumo wrestling in the suits and Jack’s convinced himself he can do taekwondo and Alex assuring them that he can do ballet and it’s really just a big mess that he’s got to try and sort out. He’s used to it, though, it’s been his job for years now and he does eventually get them doing something productive.

★★★

Someone’s roaming around with a camera trying to get footage for a making-of video, but neither Sam nor Jack don’t know who and they don’t really care where they are because Jack’s busy trying to make sure she doesn’t beat his score on the space invaders game they found in the corner of the arcade.
“What’s going on here?” Danny asks from behind the camera, pointing it at the pair as Jack tries to push Sam away from the game and she tries to stand her ground
“Jack’s being stupid” Sam calls out, too wrapped up in the game and the fight to even notice or care that she’s being filmed
“Sam’s being stupid”
“Just because I’m going to beat your score!” then Jack shuns the camera, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her from the machine, she tries to hold on but she’s not half as strong as he is and he tears her away easily and she subsequently loses the game.
“I am victorious” he cries out, throwing his arms in the air and she hits him in the chest
“You’re a dick, I so would have won” she pouts and he pulls her into him as he starts to sing something resembling the American national anthem she squirms in his grip, trying to escape his arms that seem infinitely long
“Just because my video game talents are superior” he teases
“Shut the fuck up”
“I could teach you the art, young grasshopper”
“You’re an idiot”
“A lovable idiot”
“Nope. Just an idiot” she says and he frowns down at her so she laughs as she gives into his hold, leaning against his chest and putting her arms around his middle. He presses a kiss to the top of her head and then, simply by bending backward a bit, he lifts her up and starts to carry her over to the section that’s been roped off for them and they weren’t actually really supposed to leave.

★★★

A long day, a lot of play fights and quite a lot of filming later and they’re finally going back to the hotel. Hand-in-hand once more Jack, Sam and the band and crew walk as a large group of tired adults from the arcade to the hotel Matt booked that’s thankfully only a few minutes away. They get into the lobby and Matt gives them all their room keys, Alex telling Jack and Sam to “be safe” as they head up to their room. Once the door’s shut behind them and their bags are safely at the side of room they come together again and Sam’s already helping him slide his jacket from his shoulders and then her hand’s are up around his shoulder and winding round his neck as his push under her shirt and move up the curve of her back
“I love you, y’know” he murmurs just before actually pressing their lips together
“You might’ve mentioned it” she smiles back and he just lets out a little laugh before kissing her and this time there’s no need to keep thing pg-13 but they take their time because they’ve got all night, and the rest of forever after that

Jack slowly guides them toward the bed, both losing their shirts as they go and just before she pulls him backwards so they fall onto the bed, he pulls away. He can’t really move far because she’s got her arms wrapped securely around his neck and he’s not at all loosened the grip he has on her.
“I’m going to go shower” he says and she gives him the most deadly look he’s ever seen because it’s one of those surprisingly rare occasions when she’s genuinely considering slapping him. But before she can ask him what the fuck he’s playing at, or indeed slap him, he’s leant down enough to get his arms around her thighs and effortlessly lifted her up
“And you’re coming with me” he finishes with a smug little smile and then he turns them both round and carries her into the bathroom.

Then, when they both collapse into the bed, their legs immediately tangle together and their noses brush and they feel happy, truly and completely happy.