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A chorus of phones trilled and rang through the tour bus.
"What, the actual, fuck, is going on?" Louis asked sleepily, lifting his head from Harry's shoulder and glaring around.
"Not a clue, but someone make it stop," Zayn mumbled, hiding his face in Liam's shoulder. "It's too fucking early."
"Uh, lads?" Niall said hesitantly, the only one to have actually picked his phone up to look at it. "You may wanna take a look at your phones."
"If this is a fucking windup, Niall, I'm dangling you out of the back window by your ankles," Harry muttered in a warning tone, only reaching out a hand to fumble around for his still chiming phone.
"Holy fuck," Liam said softly, the first to have done as Niall instructed. "Holy. Fuck."
"Exactly, mate," Niall nodded quickly. "I need to call Shawn."
"What is it?" Zayn asked, lifting his head and covering his mouth with a hand as he yawned, before peeping over Liam's shoulder. "Oh. Fuck me."
"Can someone please share with the class? My phone is... somewhere over there," Louis gestured vaguely to a pile of clothing on the opposite side of the bus.
Harry held out his phone wordlessly, his eyes starting to fill with tears, as Louis peered at the screen.
"'Dear Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn, aka One Direction, congratulations, you have been nominated for the following Grammy Awards'," Louis read out, his jaw dropping as his words dawned on him. "Holy fuck."
"That's what I said!" Liam blurted out. "Keep reading it, Tommo."
"Uh... 'Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album - 'Proud', Best Album Notes, Producer of the Year, Non-Classical - Liam Payne, Best Music Video - 'Pride'. The Awards Ceremony will take place on February 3rd in Los Angeles. We would like to take this opportunity to request your attendance, and offer you a performance slot. We hope to see you there! Kind regards, The Recording Academy'." Louis stared at Harry's phone for a few more moments, before he looked around at his band. "Well fuck, lads. Seems like a ten year break was all it took to be taken seriously in the music biz. Who'd've thunk it?"
The next thing he knew, his lap was full of his husband, sobbing into his shoulder, before the other three piled on in a huge tangled mess of limbs, all hugging and squeezing each other.
"I can't believe it," Harry just kept mumbling over and over.
"Five nominations, holy shit, five," Liam babbled.
"Hey, you've got five, Payno," Niall pointed out. "The rest of us only have four. You're the one who got the producer nod." He grinned. "Aren't you glad we insisted on it now?"
Liam stared at him, his cheeks a little pale as he realised the enormity of what Niall was saying.
"Fuck."
"You'll be grand," Niall told him seriously, clapping him on the shoulder. "Now I really need to call Shawn. I bet he's been nominated too." He huffed. "Better not beat us or I'll kick his ass." He thought for a moment. "Or just make him sleep on the sofa. He hates that sofa."
"You're a harsh, harsh man, Niall," Louis told him seriously. "I am in awe. I wish I had the gumption to do the same." He paused, then grunted at the pinch he got on the hip. "Ow."
"That was well deserved, Lou," Zayn snickered as he sat back. "But holy shit. Grammy nominations."
"I just wanna say something," Harry offered as he sat up properly, wiping his cheeks with his fingers. "I am so fucking proud of us. I know there was a bit of uncertainty at the beginning, when we started talking about doing this again. But I'm so glad we did, because I think what we've done over the past eight months has been the best work we've ever produced. Nominations for awards aside, I'm proud of us. I'm proud of our music. I'm proud of our fans - the old and the new. I'm proud that we've been able to put together a team that is willing and able and proud to work for us and our best interests. I'm proud to call you all my family."
"Are you proud of making us all cry too, Styles?" Louis asked, sniffling softly. "You big sap."
"Fuck you," Harry muttered. "If I'm crying, you should all be fucking crying."
"We love you too, Haz," Zayn smiled. "And I'm fucking proud of everything, even the shitty parts."
"I'm going to talk to my fiance, and you can all shut the fuck up," Niall stated firmly as he stood up.
"Wait, fiance?!" Louis demanded. "When did that happen? Niall! Don't drop a bombshell like that and bugger off!"
Niall just waved two fingers at him as he slipped into the back room of the bus and shut the door firmly behind him.
"Did anyone know about that?" Liam stared around.
"I overheard him muttering to himself about rings a few weeks ago," Zayn commented. "But I didn't know he'd actually bought one and popped the question."
"Explains why Shawn was all extra with the heart eyes and soppy grins the last time he left us," Harry chuckled.
"I personally think it's disgusting that he didn't tell us," Louis sniffed. "We're his brothers. We should be told these things. Consulted, even."
"Calm your shit, Lou," Harry told him, pressing a kiss to Louis' temple. "We don't all know everything about each other, do we?" he added pointedly.
Louis huffed softly, but didn't say anything to the contrary.
"Okay, now you two have something to share," Zayn said, eyeing them both. "C'mon. Spill it."
"Don't know what you're talking about, Zayniepoo," Louis replied, his tone too innocent. "We are open books, and you know everything there is to know about us."
"That's a lie if ever I heard one," Liam commented, not even looking up from his phone.
"Such disloyalty in a band," Louis sighed. "I can't believe I put up with it from you all." He looked at Liam and Zayn with a frown. "Why aren't you bugging Harold here, anyway? He's the other one of the two to whom you're speaking."
"'To whom'? Did you swallow a grammar book?" Zayn snorted. "And we know you'll fold easier than Haz. He's like a steel trap. Didn't even tell anyone except you that he was releasing that second album. The rest of us had to find out with the general public, like we meant nothing at all!" he finished dramatically, resting the back of his hand on his forehead as he leaned back against Liam, who just giggled at his antics.
"Zayn's got a point," Liam added, snickering softly. "It's obviously something you're excited and happy about, but you're keeping quiet. It's incredibly suspicious. And it won't last long. We know you far too well for that."
"I think you're both being mean," Louis pouted.
"There, there, darling," Harry cooed, gently petting his arm. "I'll protect you from the big bad Liam and Zayn. Who are totally engaged and haven't shared shit about it yet, so they should be looking to keep their own secrets before they start fishing for ours."
"Uhhh, what?" Liam asked, immediately flushing bright red. "What are you on now, Haz?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, mate," Zayn protested, glaring a little.
"Oh no, no, I think you both do," Louis said, sitting up a little. "I think you know exactly what this is about. And I'd love to know when this happened. Especially when you were just complaining about Niall doing the exact same thing !"
"I have no idea what you're talking about and I don't think I want to be part of this conversation any more and I am going to the bathroom!" Liam said all in one breath, before he shot up off of the sofa and darted down the narrow corridor to the bathroom.
"No you don't!" Louis jumped across the gap to land on Zayn's lap before he could attempt to follow. "You're going to stay here, like a good little Zayniepoo, and you're going to tell me all about it. Who asked who, are there rings, and are you currently battling it out over which of you gets to have me as your best man?"
Zayn gazed at him for a moment, before he sighed heavily, a clear sign of submission.
"Fuck sake, he's gonna kill me," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, I asked, yes I had a ring, and no, there's no battling. It's already decided."
"Ooh, who gets me?" Louis demanded.
"Me, of course," Zayn rolled his eyes. "Like Leeyum has more of a claim on you? Fuck off, Lou. We're bros. Partners in crime." He wrapped his arms around Louis' waist and squeezed gently.
"Well, I'm very glad to hear it," Louis smiled, hugging Zayn back. "Really fucking pleased for you too, babe." He pressed a kiss to Zayn's forehead. "He'd better treat you right, or I'll kick his ass. And vice versa, obviously."
"I know, I think we had that discussion too," Zayn chuckled. He looked over at Harry. "How did you work it out, anyway?"
"I didn't," Harry shrugged. "It was a stab in the dark. I was just lucky."
He grunted a moment later when a pillow hit him in the face.
~~~~
"Welcome to the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Here is your host, Beyoncé Knowles!"
"Good evening, people of music," Beyoncé greeted, as she stepped up to the podium.
"Fuck, I'm terrified," Liam muttered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat between Zayn and Niall. "What if we end up fucking laughing stocks? Why are we even here?"
"Will you shut the fuck up already?" Louis hissed from next to Zayn. "I'm trying to listen to Queen Bey here. Have a little respect, and get a fucking grip. We totally deserve to be here. We've worked our asses off."
"It's gonna be okay, babe," Zayn reassured Liam quietly, resting a hand on his thigh. "Remember the discussion we had this morning? We're strong, and solid, and we are worthy."
"That was your speech?" Louis looked at Zayn in disbelief. "You are a shitty, shitty self-empowerment coach, Zayn Malik. I'm both shocked and appalled."
"Could you be shocked and appalled somewhere else?" Ariana Grande asked from in front of them. "Some of us are trying to listen and you're being incredibly loud." She paused and gave Harry a flirtatious smile. "Hiya Harry."
"Uhh, hi?" Harry offered, looking a little confused. "You remember my husband, Louis?"
Ariana's smile dropped as she looked Louis up and down distastefully, before she turned back to face the stage again.
"Still breaking hearts, love," Louis chuckled, pressing a kiss to Harry's cheek. "Never ever change."
"I didn't even do anything," Harry protested quietly. "I don't get why people are still so fucking clueless."
"I'm so glad I don't have the boyband drama that seems to surround you," Shawn muttered, leaning into Niall's side. "Although I am very surprised you're sitting next to me. I thought I was a few rows away."
"I bribed one of the young interns to move you," Niall shrugged carelessly. "Cameras might be pointing in the wrong place for your category, but they shouldn't have ignored the request for our seats to be together."
Louis snorted softly and reached across Liam and Zayn to hold up a fist for Niall to bump.
"The first award of the night is for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance," Beyoncé said on the stage. "To present this, we have the sweetheart princess of pop, Miss Taylor Swift!"
"Oh fuck my life to hell and back," Louis groaned. "This is retribution for something I haven't done yet, isn't it? No, it's for claiming I didn't know where your lube was the other day, Haz, when I'd used it all on my skateboard bearings."
"You used lube on your skateboard?" Zayn hissed. "What the actual fuck, Louis?"
"Shut. Up." Niall said darkly, glaring pointedly at them.
The two culprits sheepishly quietened down, returning their attention to the stage where Taylor had just finished reading out the list of nominations.
"And the winner is..." she started, grinning brightly as she pulled open the envelope and tugged out the piece of card. Her face visibly fell, and she swallowed hard, a grimace on her face as she leaned back into the microphone. "One Direction," she said flatly.
The audience ignored her less-than-enthusiastic delivery, and burst out into cheers and applause, while the five men stared at each other in shock and disbelief.
"Congratulations, baby!" Shawn yelled at Niall, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "You did it! C'mon! Go get your award!"
His words managed to break through the fog that was surrounding them, and they stood slowly. Niall hugged Shawn tightly, before slipping past him, the others following along, getting hugs from Shawn as they went. They gathered on the steps, where Louis burst out laughing and gently pushed Liam to walk down with one hand, while the other grabbed hold of Harry's.
The five-piece jogged down the steps and up onto the stage, all crowding around Beyoncé to give her a group hug, before Louis broke away and stepped over to the podium where Taylor was waiting with the award.
"Uh, yeah, thanks," he said, just as flatly as she'd announced their win. "I'll take that." He held out a hand for the famous gramophone award, raising an eyebrow when it wasn't given to him. He stepped over to the microphone. "Seems like our princess of pop's a bit pissed off that we won an award and is now holding it to ransom. Not entirely sure what she wants for it, but I can definitely assure her that my husband as another arc of her promo won't be on the damn list."
There was a collective gasp from the audience, until a voice (that sounded suspiciously like Sam Smith) yelled out 'tell her baby!', which caused a ripple of laughter, before they began to applaud again. With a toss of her hair and a huff, Taylor shoved the award into Liam's hands and spun on her heel to stand in her place at the side of the stage.
"Thank you everyone, thank you," Louis continued as though things were perfectly normal. "Uh, I've been nominated as spokesperson for this - apparently I like the sound of my own voice. No idea where they got that from. As was probably evident from our reactions back in our seats, we were definitely not expecting to win this - simply being nominated was a great honour, so... to actually have one of those beautiful gramophones of our very own is just... well, words fail me." He grinned around at the boys. "We have a long list of people to whom we are incredibly grateful for helping us get here, and without whom we most definitely wouldn't be here. But the boys and I had a talk before, and we agreed that for our very first Grammy, it would be dedicated to all of those who aren't here with us any more; grandparents, aunts, uncles." He swallowed hard as Harry slipped a stabilising and supportive arm around his waist, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. "But... specifically... Mum, Robin. This is for you. We love you, we miss you every damn day, and we really hope you're proud of us. Thank you so much again."
They all waved as they reluctantly followed Taylor offstage and into the smaller press room for the first photographs with their very first Grammy award.
"What was all that about onstage, Louis?" one of the reporters asked. "There seemed to be some friction with Taylor!"
"Let's just say we're not each others' favourite people," Louis chuckled, aiming for diplomacy. "And my mouth kinda ran away a little."
"He's never been good at keeping his mouth shut when he should," Zayn pointed out with a snicker. "But I think we've all got his back on this one."
"Didn't you work with Taylor, Zayn?" another reporter asked.
"Work came first," he said bluntly. "I was told to sing with her by my label. It's not like we were best buddies. I think I said a maximum of three words to her on the video shoot, and that was it."
"Wow, three whole words, Malik?" Louis asked in mock shock. "That's incredible. It was practically a Ted Talk!"
"Can we please stop talking about Taylor fucking Swift?" Harry asked with a huff. "I'd kinda like to enjoy our first Grammy win, if that's okay with everyone else?"
"Gotta love it when Harry gets stroppy," Niall snickered.
~~~~
By the end of the evening, they had performed Pride to a standing ovation, won three more awards - with Liam getting his producer award for their album - and were waiting on the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album. Having just come offstage after their performance, they didn't bother changing out of their brightly coloured outfits as they returned to their seats in the last ad break.
"We're not gonna get this one," Niall huffed. "Shawn's in there, Taylor's in there, Sam's in there. It's a fucking bloodbath." He ran a hand through his hair, scattering silver glitter all over the seat and the lap of Camila Cabello behind him. "And there's no way in hell Bey's gonna be saying the words 'One Direction' when she gets to the winner."
"You don't know that, love," Shawn said to him gently. "Proud is an amazing album. I personally think it's actually better than mine, and I think you have just as much right to win as the rest of us do. It was definitely number one for a whole ton longer than the others nominated."
"Commercial success has very little to do with it, Shawn," Liam pointed out. "You know that. It's whether people in the academy voted for us or not."
"You're the darlings of the industry right now, I hope you realise that," Shawn chuckled. "No one has anything bad to say about you in the slightest."
"Shut up, Beyoncé's about to talk," Harry growled.
"I'm incredibly proud to be the one to present the following award. The nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album are," Beyoncé said in her soothing tone. "Taylor Swift, Confusion. Shawn Mendes, Strong in Love. Sam Smith, Lovers Within. One Direction, Proud. Ed Sheeran, Forgotten Songs." She waited for the applause to die down. "The award goes to..." Beyoncé opened the envelope and carefully pulled out the cardstock. "It's a clean sweep - the award goes to One Direction, for Proud!"
"Oh fuck me," Harry said faintly. "We won best fucking album."
"Jesus fucking Christ," Liam muttered.
"Are we supposed to go down there?" Louis asked, his eyes wide. "Cos I don't think my legs will work."
"Big girl panties on, Loubear, let's get moving," Zayn said firmly, standing up and tugging Liam up to his feet with him. "C'mon, everyone up. Niall, put Shawn down. We have to go get it."
Niall groaned as he reluctantly pulled himself away from Shawn, but stood with the others and started down towards the stage again, all of them accepting congratulations on the way. They all piled around Beyoncé for another hug - as they'd done for each of the awards previously - before Harry took the award and stepped over to the microphone.
"Wow," he said, shaking his head as he gazed at the trophy in his hand. "Well, I guess it's only fitting that we're still in our rainbows from the performance." He let out a shaky breath, glancing around at the others. "I know it's my turn to talk, and I have no idea why or how we decided that I would go last for the thanks thing, but I'm guessing we all expected to not need me, because we never ever considered the idea that we would get all of them. Um, so first thanks definitely goes to our fans - you have been there for us through thick and thin, and we are so incredibly grateful for each and every one of you for the love and support you give us daily.
"Our families, you've been the backbones and the shoulders to cry on, and the sanctuaries away from the chaos. We are so immensely grateful for everything you've done to help us, individually, as a group, or as couples. We would definitely be lost without you all." He grinned and waved the award at the section of the audience that had yelled the loudest, where their families were all sat together.
"A huge shout out to our fantastic, small but mighty team of PR and management, who do their absolute best to make sure our lives run as smoothly as possible, even when we throw curveballs at them on a near daily basis - Jenny, Tabby, Marc, and Gretchen, you are the best, and will definitely be getting a bonus in your wages next month." He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, I also have to say a huge thank you to these four lads. Working with you for this past year has been an absolute dream. I'm so grateful for everything - our past, our present, and definitely our future. My husband, my brothers, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."
Harry took a deep breath and shifted his weight nervously, immediately relaxing when he felt the other four press in closer to him in support.
"Finally, and this comes from all five of us, we would like to send a message out to all of our LGBT+ fans," he said seriously. "We want you all to know that you are loved. You are respected. You are valid. You are right. And you are always, always welcome at a One Direction concert. We are so proud of each and every one of you, whether you're out and proud and marching in Pride parades all over the world; or closeted - whether by choice or force - and have to hide or deny who you are. Please know that you will always have a safe space with us. We love you all, exactly the way you are." He held the award up over his head. "Thank you again."
He stepped back carefully and was immediately embraced by his bandmates, all holding on tightly as gold ticker tape fell around them in excited flurries.
"Let's go home," Louis said, only just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the music and the audience.
"I like that idea," Zayn agreed. "I think we need a bit of a breather before we jump into anything else."
"Can we go to In-N-Out before we leave LA?" Harry asked. "I could kill for one of their burgers."
"You are so fucking weird, Haz," Niall told him.
"Oh shit, the fucking press," Louis sighed as they were shown into the main press room. "How many do you reckon will ask me about my girlfriend today?"
"I'm going for four," Niall called out.
"I'll put a tenner on three," Zayn said quickly.
"Tenner on four, and a bonus ten on a mention of your teenage son," Harry smirked.
"Oh fuck you, Styles," Louis grumbled.
"Tomlinson-Styles, and yes you did, first thing this morning," Harry nodded sagely. "I greatly appreciated it, too."
"Too much information, thanks guys," Liam grumbled.
"Is it true that you and Ariana are going on a date tomorrow, Harry?" one reporter asked.
"Looks like you're gonna reap the rewards of a not-so-sharp seating arrangement," Louis snorted. "Good luck fielding all of these questions - Ari's even more of a darling than we supposedly are."
"I'm married, so no, that's not true," Harry said firmly. "I am happily in love with my husband, and plan to remain that way for the rest of my life, so please - sensible questions only, please."
"Louis, are you jealous of Taylor's success?" another asked.
Louis stared at the dude, before looking at the five trophies that they were collectively holding.
"Does it look like I have anything to be jealous of?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "I got the awards, I got the boy, I'm more than happy." He glanced up at Harry, who nodded once. "We actually have some news, if you're all ready and actually listening." He cleared his throat. "I'm incredibly pleased to announce that Harry and I will be having a child in August. There will be no further details released, so please do not ask."
"Liam and I will be getting married in three weeks time," Zayn piped up.
"Shawn and I got married in Vegas last night," Niall added.
All five men looked at each other, before bursting into collective laughter, as the questions kept flying at them, and the flashbulbs blazed around the room.
The five of them.
One Direction.
Together.
Proud.