Chapter Text
Louis feels numb as they gather them into a group. Some boys are crying, some even look angry. But Louis immediately seeks out the boy from boot camp- the one who always manages to catch his eye, no matter the circumstances. Harry. Louis’ chest tightens when he finds him. Harry looks devastated, completely and utterly destroyed . Louis wants to comfort him, hug him- do something . But then there’s a man with a clipboard, trying to talk to the nervous group.
“Will the following boys please return to the stage?” The man calls. A hushed silence falls over the boys as he looks down at his clipboard. Louis’ hand jumps to his mouth as he bites at his nails nervously, barely even registering how the adorable blonde boy next to him does the same. “Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles,” Louis’ gaze shoots over to the curly lad as he buries his face in his hands, trying to compose himself before following the two other boys. Louis completely misses the next name called, but then his heart stops. The last name called is- “and Louis Tomlinson.”
Louis feels like he’s going to throw up, dizzy with nerves as he follows the other lads back out onto the stage. They stand in a line, arms wrapped around each other. The judge calls out a greeting and Louis smiles nervously as he replies with the others. His mind races as she speaks to them- telling them they’re all too talented to let go. Two groups. They’re making two groups. Louis has to force himself to look at the judges instead of Harry for his reaction. What do they mean? And then-
“We’ve decided to put you both through to the judges house.” Louis can’t breathe, he can’t think, he can’t- and then before he knows what’s happening he’s running to Harry, jumping into his arms, smiling as Harry grips him tightly. It ends too soon, Harry putting him down and them celebrating with the other boys. Anything else said after that is lost in a haze of euphoria for Louis. He’s in a band. That’s all he can think about. That, and strangely enough, the curly-headed boy whose arms he jumped into without even thinking.
-
Louis was an idiot. It was official. Because only an idiot would get stung by a sea urchin just hours before the biggest audition of his life. Harry had tried to go with him to the hospital, to comfort him, but Simon wouldn’t let him, insisting they needed all the practice they could get, even without Louis. And now it’s almost time to perform and Louis still isn’t back . Liam is fuming, Zayn’s trying to hide how nervous he is, Niall has chewed his nails to bits, and Harry’s a wreck. Though he‘s more worried about Louis than the audition, if he’s being honest.
“He’s not going to make it,” Liam mutters, running a hand through his hair. “He’s not gonna bloody make it.”
“Yes he is, he has to!” Harry replies, head buried in his hands. They’ve practiced all they can, they just need Louis. “Besides, he’s in the bloody hospital, Liam, it’s not like he’s got a whole lot of say in the matter.”
“Well maybe if he weren’t an idiot and got stung by-”
“It wasn’t his fault!” Harry jumps to Louis' defence without giving it a second thought. “He didn’t get stung on bloody purpose! He’s hurt !”
“He-”
“Lads, shut up someone’s here,” Zayn cuts in, pointing out the window where a car is driving up. Harry's on his feet instantly, running outside with the others right behind him. He reaches Louis first, though, and is rewarded with the older boy throwing himself into his embrace once again.
“‘M glad you’re alright,” Harry whispers, his arms tight around Louis. Louis grins and returns the squeeze as the other boys join their hug. There’s no more time for celebration though, they have an audition to do. So they hoist Louis up into their arms and run back to get in a few more practices.
Later, Harry has to force himself to look at the judges and not Louis as they perform, though he knows from the small glances he steals that the boy is smiling widely despite being in what Harry’s sure is excruciating pain. Harry’s heart races as the judges thank and excuse them.
He hangs back with Louis while Simon and Sinitta discuss the band, both too nervous to speak but comforted by the other’s presence. Then they’re called back and for the second time that day, Harry is hugging Louis as they're told they made it through.
-
They hadn’t been lying when they said it would be hard work. The boys are absolutely exhausted only three days in. They’re woken at 6:30, breakfast at 7, rehearsal from 7:30-12, lunch, then more rehearsal till 6, dinner, and then the night is theirs. Now, if they were smarter or saner , they would probably head to bed early to get a good night of sleep. But they are neither smart nor sane. They are teenage boys. So their nights are filled with movies, games, and all around idiocy. But the boys are swiftly growing closer, forming relationships and coming together as a group. And none as much as Louis and Harry.
Louis is loud and energetic, always hopping from one thing to another. Harry’s quieter, more reserved and thoughtful. And yet no one is closer than they’ve come to be. The boys all notice- they aren’t blind afterall. They see the way Harry watches Louis adoringly no matter what Louis is doing, the way the two huddle together at night in one of their bunks giggling late into the night. They see how Louis fonds over the boy whenever he pipes in or blushes or- oh god the fonding when Harry sings . Basically anything Harry does is fond-worthy as far as Louis is concerned.
The others don’t mind. They’re growing closer as well, just not quite at the speed of Louis and Harry. Liam and Zayn find they greatly enjoy each other’s company, and who could not love Niall? The Irish lad won the boys over instantly. Liam and Louis definitely butt heads the most, but they get on fine nonetheless.
So that’s how the boys find themselves, three days into their stay, sitting in their rooms discussing band names. Louis’ sitting in the big armchair chair, Harry on the ground in between his legs. Liam and Zayn share the couch facing the tv and Niall is sitting cross-legged on the coffee table in front of them. Louis is playing with Harry’s curls, a normal occurrence for them now, as the boys toss out various suggestions.
“Niall and the Potatoes!” Niall’s suggestion is met with a chorus of groans and Zayn throwing popcorn at him, so he quickly amends, “Naill er and the Potatoes!” The boys jeer louder and Liam joins Zayn in his popcorn assault on the Irish boy.
“How about something simple?” Zayn proposes. “Like ‘Zayn’?” At that, Liam promptly smacks him upside the head, Niall stretches out one foot to kick him, Louis shouts something rude, and Harry just smiles quietly at his bandmates’ antics, pushing his head further into Louis’ hands when his movements still. Picking up on the hint, Louis resumes playing with the lad’s curls and Harry’s smile widens. After several more minutes of jokes and teasing, Liam gets serious.
“C’mon lads we need an actual name!” he insists with a stern look. “We need something new, original. Like a unique selling point! What about that? ‘Unique Selling Point’? We could go by USP for short!” Even Harry groans at that, scrunching his nose up in distaste. Louis briefly takes note of how adorable that is before berating Liam,
“Payno you cannot be serious, that’s worse than Nialler and the Potatoes for gods’ sake!” Louis shouts, but he doesn’t stop playing with Harry’s curls. Zayn laughs at that, while Niall looks almost offended. Liam rolls his eyes.
“‘S not that bad!”
“No, it’s awful,” Harry quietly chimes in, and Liam throws his hands up in defeat.
“Well we need a name!” he reminds them. “I don’t see you lot pitching in a ton!”
“‘M telling you mate, Nialler and the Potatoes, ‘s got a nice ring to it,” Niall mumbles around a mouthful of popcorn. Liam groans.
“One Direction,” Harry says softly, almost as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. But Louis heard. Louis always heard Harry. So he shushes the other boys.
“What was that Hazza?” Harry blinks, and cranes his neck back to look at Louis.
“Oh, nothing, just muttering to meself,” he says quietly, flushing as he looks back down at his hands in his lap. Louis nudges him gently with his leg, stilling his hands in the boy’s hair.
“No, c’mon Harold what’d ya say?” Harry sighs- Louis is not going to let this go, is he?
“One Direction?” he mumbles again, barely loud enough for the others to hear, but plenty for Louis to.
“One Direction,” Louis repeats, louder this time. “I like it, what d’you think laddies?” Even if the others didn’t like it (though they all do), the look Louis gives them would’ve silenced any opposition.
“Better than Nialler and the Potatoes,” Zayn says after a second.
“Oh because ‘Zayn’ was such an amazing suggestion!” Niall shoots back.
“Least it wasn’t ‘Unique Selling Point,” Louis quips, earning a sigh from Liam.
“Alright, well I like One Direction,” Liam says, trying to keep them on the right track. “Anyone not like it?” No one says a word. “Then One Direction it is! We’ll tell Simon together tomorrow, yeah?” The boys all nod in agreement and Louis sees Harry smile widely, cheeks rosy and eyes bright. It’s infectious, and Louis finds himself grinning as well.