Chapter Text

One

Sliding his mic pack into his back pocket, Harry turned to the mirror to check his appearance one final time. Straightening his top, the one with the big red heart emblazoned on the front, he slid his feet into his red trainers and tied the laces. Tucking his ear pieces on top of his ears, he reached for the door handle, taking a deep breath as he took a step into the labyrinth of corridors as he headed towards the stage.

The faint sound of fans screaming for him started to hit his ears as he neared the stage. As always, that perfect blend of nerves and excitement started at his fingertips and began to course through his body.
The nerves felt a little different tonight though. Tonight was Manchester, one of the nights he has been dreaming of playing for a while. Some of his family had travelled to come and see him at the infamous Emirates Old Trafford Stadium.

Harry lived for performing, it was clear to anyone and everyone who had ever seen him live on stage. He loved to skip, sing and dance around the stage every night in front of thousands of people. Frolicking with feather boas and rainbow flags on the regular, there was no other high like it. Despite the odd dabble in artificial highs in his youth, he soon realised nothing could beat, or even replicate, the real highs; those incredible adrenaline rushes that took hours to come down from.

Sure, it had taken him a while to get used to being up there on his own. He felt so exposed without the other three lads up there with him, but he also felt that he was his most authentic self. Nothing, and nobody, to hide behind.

Finding his band backstage, they all shared a fist bump before he bounced a couple of times on his heels, the adrenaline already flowing through his veins like a current. He was desperate to get out there, the opening video never going fast enough in his eyes.

The band left him, taking their positions on the stage as they had many nights before. He watched them go, his head bopping to the rhythm as his foot tapped the beat on the floor.

On cue, Harry waltzed out on stage, basking in that overwhelming feeling of love and adoration that he always got from his fans. Instantly he felt his skin warm with the strength of the stage lights on him, following his every step.

With his trademark wide grin, he brought his fingertips to his lips and waved out at the crowd. Reaching for the microphone, he started to sing a track from his new album, astounded at how many fans already knew the words. More than anything, he felt home.

*

And I'm well aware I write too many songs about you
And the coffee's out
At the Beachwood Cafe
And it kills me 'cause I know we've run out of things we can say

As he sung, a familiar sensation flooded through his veins. The hairs on the back of his neck pricked up in a way he hadn’t felt in a while. But there was no way what he was feeling was real, it couldn’t be.

Shaking the thought from his mind, he finished the song and bowed to the crowd. Deciding to ignore the fear that was creeping into his stomach, he carried on with the show, hoping nobody saw the little shake of the head that he gave himself, mentally scolding himself for being so stupid.

Standing at the front of the stage, Harry stayed quiet, looking out at the sea of people facing him and his heart swelled in his chest. It still bewildered him that so many people came to see him. Not the band, just little old him. The same Harry who came from that little unknown part of the world, Holmes Chapel.

Every night, he liked to take a minute and just look out at the crowd, taking a mental picture for his memories. One day someone was bound to call him out on it, but right now it was his own little secret.

As the familiar bars of the first song he ever released with the band began to play, he made his way back to the microphone as the screams around him reached fever pitch. He always loved to pay homage to One Direction, remembering where he came from and how he became the successful artist he’d evolved into. Blowing kisses to the crowd, his eyes slid closed as he began to sing.

Baby, you light up my world like nobody else
The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed
But when you smile at the ground, it ain't hard to tell
You don't know, oh
You don't know you're beautiful

That uncomfortable sensation reappeared and Harry found the hairs on the back of his neck stand up once more. During the guitar break, he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and skipped down the catwalk, waving and blowing kisses to fans as he went.

As he strode back to his microphone, he glanced up at the VIP box and his eyes met with another pair. As blue as a summer sky, slightly obscured by dark hair that swept across an unreadable expression on his face. He was stood still like a statue, hands shoved deep into dark jeans. Screwing his eyes shut for a second, Harry prayed he was dreaming, that his mind was playing a nasty trick on him.

As his heart raced in his chest at the thought of being under the gaze of those blue eyes, even from afar, Harry realised he’d lost where he’d stashed his microphone. Laughing to the crowd, he passed it off as a silly mistake and made a joke when the tech passed him a wireless mic so he could carry on the show. Careful Harry, don’t let the crowd know something is wrong he told himself.

Harry dared to subtly glance back to the VIP box as the song ended, but they were gone. Convinced he was either delusional or in need of a good night’s sleep, Harry pushed all thoughts of his vision to the furthest depths of his mind as he continued to be the professional showman he was known to be.

Waving goodnight to the crowd, he blew countless kisses as he disappeared off the side of the stage. Ignoring the calls of his band and crew, Harry strode through the backstage area, the pounding of blood in his ears overpowering him as he finally adjusted to the possibility of him being there tonight, watching the show.

Harry needed to be alone, it was the only way he could get a handle on himself and calm his frantic heart rate. Slamming the dressing room door behind him, Harry leant his back against it and finally let the sob escape him that he’d been holding back for the last hour.

Fuck.

Chapter Text

Two

‘What the fucking fuck was that?’ Sarah asked Harry as he finally appeared on the tour bus. It had taken him a good fifteen minutes to calm his breathing and a further ten minutes to remove all evidence of his tears. He hated making anyone leave late, guilt swirling into the number of emotions currently cursing through his brain.

He shoved his hands deep into the front pocket of his beige hoody, throwing himself down wordlessly onto the sofa of the tour bus like a sullen teenager. Her eyes stayed on him, waiting for him to explain. She knew he’d only talk when he was ready and not a moment before.

Resting his head on the back of the seat, he pushed his knuckles into his closed eyes and sighed deeply. Harry knew he could trust her, deep down. She’d been part of his band for so long, she was practically family. It was one of the reasons she was the only member of the band he’d allow to travel in his tour bus. By his demeanour alone, she suspected something bad had happened. This wasn’t just Harry being tardy, which he rarely ever was.

‘I saw him Sarah. He was there tonight.’ Harry’s voice was barely a whisper, but she’d heard him loud and clear. Her phone fell from her grasp with a thud, making them both jump.

‘Are you sure?’ she stammered, her eyes flying wide as Harry nodded slowly, his curls bouncing into his eyes as he stared at the table.

‘Yeah. He was there during What Makes You Beautiful, I'm sure of it. But by the time I looked back, he was gone.’ Even thinking about him was making Harry’s stomach twist with discomfort.

Getting to her feet, Sarah made her way to the makeshift bar, pouring a generous measure of whiskey for Harry and herself. Putting one glass in front of him, he gratefully threw back the amber liquid, enjoying the warming sensation as it went down.

‘Shitting hell Styles.’ She shook her head, leaning against the cupboard as she pinched the bridge of his nose. Sarah knew even being near him spelled disaster for Harry. Three years of hard work and therapy were close to going up in smoke. It pained her to think he could be heading for a derailment after all his hard work. ‘I guess we should try and find out for sure whether it was actually him.’

‘You know he doesn’t use social media.’ Harry frowned, accepting another measure of whiskey as Sarah re-joined him at the table. Leaning down on his forearms, he grasped the glass with both hands. ‘He gave it up years ago.’

Truth be told, all of the lads hated social media with a passion. Having given up so much of their lives since a young age, they decided to use social media as little as possible, keeping their lives as private as they could manage without upsetting their fans. Harry preferred to leave his social media posts to his dedicated team, knowing that it would give the fans an insight without allowing them to violate his privacy too much.

There were some artists, and bands, who shared every corner of their private lives online and Harry respected that. It was a huge commitment that he simply didn’t have time for. Plus, it also reduced his temptation to look at other people’s profiles.

‘There’s nothing on his personal page.’ Sarah sighed, not looking up from her phone. That wasn’t a surprise, Harry mused. Sometimes you were lucky if he deemed you important enough to reply to a WhatsApp message you sent him. He really was a bit of an old man in reality, his phone being just an accessory rather than a way to communicate. It used to drive Harry insane, waiting hours to get a reply if he ever got one at all.

‘I’ve checked the hashtags from last night and he’s not tagged anywhere. I’m gonna hit up a few of the major fan Instagram pages and see what I find.’ At that comment, he reached into his own pocket and checked the notifications. There were only maybe twenty people he deemed close enough to him to even have his personal member, present company included.

His phone flashed up with a couple of messages from his family chat with his mum and sister, both praising him for the performance and saying they couldn’t wait till he was back with them for a little while. Harry missed his family a great deal when he was on the road, the family chats being the closest he felt to them when he was away from home. Making a mental note to call them both in the morning, he flicked to Instagram and smiled to himself as he looked at a few of the videos that had already been uploaded from the performance.

Surely if he had been in the audience tonight, someone would’ve noticed at least? He was stood there, not even trying to hide himself away in that box. It was usually a very rare occurrence for a member of One Direction to go out anywhere and not be spotted by at least a handful of fans. But this, one of Harry’s tour nights, would’ve been so high profile. How did he do it? How did he fly under the radar with so many fans about? Niall had been spotted by loads of people, he barely made it ten minutes before the fans nearby had made it public.

‘Wait a second...’ Harry muttered, casting an eye over one video that just stretched over the VIP section. He could make out his Aunt and Uncle, sitting towards the back. He willed the fan who had captured the video to move just a fraction to the right, just enough to see where he had spotted him hours earlier. His nails dug into the palm of his hand as he watched with earnest, hoping the video confirmed his fears.

His thumb hit the screen as the video moved just far enough, stilling the short video. Taking a screenshot, Harry pulled up the image from his gallery so he could zoom in.

Granted, the image was a little grainy, but it was enough. Harry could recognise those tattoos in his sleep, even though they were a little blurry. His heart began to race as he turned his phone around to show Sarah. He hadn’t imagined it at all, he was there. Clear as day.

‘What the fuck are you playing at, Louis Tomlinson?’ Sarah sighed, snatching Harry’s phone from his hands as he stared up at the ceiling of the bus, silent tears falling down his cheeks. His thoughts were the same as Sarah’s. He wasn’t sure his heart could take the reality of being in the same place as Louis again.

What the hell did he want, and why did he rock up unannounced at Harry's concert?

Chapter Text

Three

‘How on earth did that happen? Who let it happen?’ Niall frowned at Harry, who just stared down at coffee mug in front of him, seemingly unbothered that it was now stone cold.

Unsure what to do, Harry had called Niall in the early hours of the morning in a broken state. He needed someone by his side who fully understood what he had gone through. So after Harry had sobbed down the phone and explained what had gone down at the stadium, Niall had jumped in his car and headed to the North.

Hours later, the two of them sat side by side at the kitchen island of the house near Manchester that Harry had purchased a few years back, when a move up North seemed to be in his future. He hadn’t been to the house in months, but he didn’t want to be on the tour bus or in a hotel right now.

Harry could feel himself starting to unravel at the thought of Louis being anywhere near him, even more so that he had no time to mentally prepare. Who even does that? Just randomly shows up at a show without an invite? Of course Louis could get in anywhere he wanted; he was Louis bloody Tomlinson.

‘I can’t exactly ban him from the shows, can I?’ Harry spoke sadly, running a hand through his hair for the hundredth time that morning.

‘You’re Harry fucking Styles. You can do anything you want. I’m sure if you told your fans to all wear purple sequin trousers to your concert, they would.’ The last comment brought a small smile to Harry's lips. As well as being a tower of strength, Niall had always had a knack for eliciting even a small smile from Harry when he needed cheering up.

‘Might try that next time.’ Harry chuckled, getting to his feet and pouring the rest of his cold coffee in the sink. He hadn’t slept a wink, the thoughts in his mind overpowering the sheer exhaustion he felt.

‘Seriously though, someone’s head ought to roll for that monumental fuck up.’ Niall stated, reaching in to the bag of recently delivered essentials and finding a packet of biscuits. Ripping the packet open, he shoved two into his mouth without a thought.

‘You are an animal.’ Harry frowned, shaking his head at his friend fondly. Niall grinned, bits of biscuit landing on the kitchen side in front of him.

‘What? I drove through the night to come see you Styles, I’m bloody starving!’

‘I guess as you drove all the way here, the least I can do is make you breakfast.’ Harry sniggered, fishing out the eggs and the cheese and reaching for the omelette pan.

‘Damn straight.’ Niall chuckled, finding two glasses in the cupboard and pouring them each a measure of juice. ‘So what are we going to do about knobhead?’ Harry flinched at the insult, but he wasn’t altogether surprised. They barely tolerated each other during the One Direction days, but add the way Louis treated Harry into the mix, and Niall was lethal.

‘I just don’t get it.’ Harry shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. ‘Why was he there? It’s not like he was there to support me, like the best friend that he is.’ He rolled his eyes sarcastically, whisking up the eggs before decanting them in the pan. ‘It was just fucking weird. Now you see me, now you don’t.’

‘And he was definitely there? Like for real?’ Niall narrowed his eyes, receiving a glare from Harry in return.

‘Yeah, he was in a fan video I found last night.’ Harry reached for his phone, finding the screen shot and passing the phone over.

‘I don’t get how nobody saw him, or tagged him? People went nuts when I rocked up at Wembley.’ Niall pulled out his own phone, scrawling through his social media pages to see if he could find something.

‘I know right? I couldn’t escape you for days.’ Harry chuckled, serving up the food and pushing a plate at Niall. He tucked in hungrily, but Harry could do little more than push the eggs around his plate.
‘It’s like he’s a ghost.’

‘The ghost of Christmas past, for sure.’ Harry spoke glumly and Niall reached over and squeezed his forearm gently. He knew what this encounter could do to his friend and his heart broke a little to think Harry’s world had been turned on its axis. ‘Why couldn’t he just talk to me?’

And that sentence right there, was the one that did it. Tears fell freely down Harry's cheeks as Niall scooped him up in his arms and held him as he cried. It wasn’t fair, Harry didn’t deserve any of this.

All he’d done is love the guy with everything he had, yet he was the one who had been hurt. The one who was left behind, spending hours with a therapist before he could even walk out of his front door without feeling that a panic attack was brewing.

As the tears subsided, Niall risked stepping back from Harry and reached for the cupboard. Finding two tumblers, he opened and closed a few more cupboards before he found what he was looking for. Brandishing a bottle of vodka, he poured two generous measures before pushing one in front of Harry.

Why does everyone keep thinking alcohol solves everything? Harry mused, staring up at his friend with a perplexed expression.

‘It’s 10 in the morning.’ Harry frowned, picking up the glass and swirling the liquid round until he felt his eyes cross as he stared at the movement.

‘Fuck it, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.’ Niall shrugged, downing the glass in one go. Clearly he was staying tonight too, but in honesty Harry was glad of the company. The last thing he needed was to be alone. Harry you’re no good alone had never been a truer statement than right there and then.

Thankfully he wasn’t due in Glasgow for a few days, giving him the opportunity to spend time with his mum and sister before his tour moved on. That was obviously going well. He knew he needed to call them before they started to worry, he made a mental note to call later when the dust had settled.

‘You can take the man out of Ireland...’ Harry muttered, but the small smile assured Niall he was joking. He earned a biscuit to fly past his ear, landing perfectly on the worktop behind him and a celebratory cheer from the Irish lad.

*

‘I feel like a fucking fan girl.’ Niall sighed, his face practically glued to his iPad later that evening. He’d decided after the first two hours of social media stalking that he needed a larger screen if he wanted to keep his eyesight. He was using his burner accounts, of course, flying under the radar as he searched every possible hashtag he could think of, trying to chase the ghost.

‘Are you still trying to find him?’ Harry looked up from his guitar for the first time in a long time, frowning at his friend.

‘It’s driving me bloody mad.’ Niall scowled at the screen, his index finger flicking through countless posts. ‘I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen you lose that fucking microphone.’ He mutters, causing Harry to blush scarlet.

He still can’t forgive himself for acting foolishly on stage, but the fans didn’t seem to read much further into it. ‘I’ve even tried contacting the stadium to see if they can help. But obviously they think I’m a fan so they have said they can’t tell me anything. Maybe I’ll get my team on it.’

‘No.’ Harry's sharp tone made Niall snap his gaze up from the screen. ‘We do this our way.’

‘But our way is getting us nowhere!’ he whined, tossing the iPad aside and running his hands down his face. His eyes were tired from all the Web browsing. Niall was unsure what further avenues they could explore.

Louis was a notoriously private person. Always had been. To the extent that even the tabloids had no idea where he lived anymore. They couldn’t narrow down the county, let alone the house he lived in. He had this great knack of just flying under the radar, whether you liked it or not. In this scenario, both Niall and Harry decidedly did not like it.

‘I think we should just give up.’ Harry sighed, putting his guitar back on the stand and getting to his feet. His stomach felt uneasy, his feet a little unsteady, but with a polite goodnight he took himself off to bed.

Lying in the darkness, Harry found himself tossing and turning as thoughts of Louis whirled around his brain. He felt guilty that he’d managed to drag Niall into all this, but at the same time he was grateful to have some support.

Despite what he told Niall, Harry wasn’t even close to giving up. His heart was always stronger at overpowering his head. Eyes fixed on the soft moonlight filtering between the curtains, his mind began to wonder whether there were strong influences at play.

Could you get hashtags removed from Instagram? Is there such a thing?

Growling into the darkness, he threw his face down into the pillow, frustration seeping through his veins. Three years on, Louis was still driving him to fucking distraction.

Chapter Text

Four

'Whatcha thinking?’ Louis asked, sipping on his tea and hissing at the temperature. No matter how many times he told himself to wait, Louis always tried drinking his tea whilst it was too hot. Nearly thirty and still can’t bloody remember to leave tea alone until it’s cooled a little.

Harry was laid on his back on the bed in his hotel room, his head facing the bottom, his feet halfway up the wall. How that could be comfy, Louis could only imagine. His gaze was fixed on a random mark on the wall that only he could see, but he was definitely deep in thought.

‘Hmm?’ Harry tilted his head backwards so he could see Louis. He tried to ignore the fact that his head was perfectly level with the bulge of Louis’ jeans. Shaking his head, Louis leaned down and placed an upside down kiss on his lips, carefully balancing his tea so it didn’t spill.

‘You ok, H?’ the frown on the younger lad's face deepened as Harry looked at him with an odd expression. If he looked closer, Louis could see the dark circles under Harry’s eyes and the slight discolouration to his skin where back to back touring was starting to take it’s toll. Which is what brought Louis to Buenos Aires, after a late night phone call full of exhausted tears that twisted Louis’ stomach and broke his heart a little. Thankfully he had been over in LA at the time, so he chartered a jet and was there by Harry's side in a few hours.

Naturally, it had been a logistical nightmare, as Louis needed to make sure he made it into Argentina without being spotted by anyone. LAX had been harder to navigate, but with his security in tow he’d made it to Harry’s hotel without so much as a dent in social media channels. Much to the relief of both of them. Harry turned onto his stomach, bending his legs behind him and crossing them at the ankle.

‘’M just thinking.’ He mumbled, folding his hands under his chin and gazing down on the floor. Louis sat cross legged on the floor, his face not far from Harry’s as he cradled his tea. Jet lag was a little easier to handle with his favourite cuppa.

‘What’s that baby?’ Louis frowned, gently reaching up and running his fingers through Harry’s hair in a way he knew would soothe him. Harry's eyes closed briefly as he basked in the familiar feeling of Louis’ touch.

‘I want... No, it doesn’t matter.’ The sigh that tumbled from his lips was one of frustration than anything else. Putting his now empty mug on the coffee table nearby, Louis reached up and gently cupped Harry’s cheeks. ‘I know love. I know, but it’s not possible.’ He knew what Harry wanted. Touring as a solo artist was a lonely business and he knew Harry wanted him to stay, keep him close during this leg of the tour. But realistically it would be a nightmare. Add on top of that their contractual obligations, it was just too complicated to make happen.

Louis wanted it more than nothing else, to be by Harry’s side for weeks on end, but the logistics and security requirements to keep him hidden and safe were too big to handle. It pained them both, especially Louis. He could see the toll the tour was taking on Harry both physically and emotionally. He hated seeing the usual spark gone from his eyes, the artificial one that appeared when Harry was on stage was no match. Not that anyone other than Louis would notice on the surface.

‘Right, come on. We’re going out.’ Louis jumped to his feet, reaching for his phone.

‘We can’t go outside!’ Harry practically screeched, sitting up on his knees at the end of the bed. ‘Lou please, can’t we just stay here? It’s nearly 2am!’
‘Exactly why we should go out. Don’t you remember Sydney?’ Louis raised an eyebrow at him and Harry blushed slightly under his gaze.

How could he ever forget? Sydney was where they shared their first kiss, after sneaking out of the hotel in the early hours of the morning without their security to go and see the Harbour Bridge. After a quiet celebration of their success, they had sat down on the green opposite the water and just watched the view, holding hands and sharing small kisses. It had been so silent, so still. It was perfect.

‘Of course I remember Sydney.’ Harry mumbled as Louis searched in his back for some clothes. He tossed a long sleeve t-shirt at Harry, knowing the only way they’d pull this off is by covering any exposed tattoos they had.

‘Right, I think we’ll do.’ Louis grinned, tucking his hair up into the baseball cap on his head and pulling it down low. Harry fumbled with the sleeves on his top, pulling them down as low as possible. He slid his feet into a pair of Vans and made his way to the door. His heart was hammering in his chest as Louis took the lead, sliding the room key into his back pocket as he beckoned Harry out of the room.

Heads low, the two made their way through the lobby and out into the mild evening. Being the early hours of the morning, naturally there were no people around. Grabbing Harry’s hand, Louis made an executive decision to go left out of the hotel and kept walking. ‘Where are we going?’ Harry hissed, snaking an American twang into his voice so they weren’t identified by their voices alone.

‘This a-way honey bun.’ The strong American accent that came from Louis made Harry's eyes widen and a laugh fell from his lips before he could stop it. Louis frowned at him, narrowing his eyes. ‘As if me accent isn’t recognised in a nanosecond.’ He rolled his eyes, the American drawl still thick.

It was one of their little tricks they used at the height of their fame as a band, whenever they were back home and tried to go undetected. There was no disguising that strong Doncaster accent when Louis spoke normally. They swapped between Australian and American, depending on their mood. Tonight Louis had gone all Texan, and Harry would be lying if he said it didn’t affect him in ways he hadn’t imagined.

‘Oh look!’ Louis gasped, seeing a frozen yoghurt place that was actually open. In the middle of the night. Harry wasn’t sure what called for such a place to be open this late at night, but in that moment he had never been so grateful.

‘Can we take two large raspberry swirls please?’ Louis smiled politely at the older gentleman behind the counter. At least it wasn’t a young girl, so they had even less of a chance of being spotted. Harry noticed Louis even holding his thumb over the name on his card as he paid with contactless.

After taking their order, the two hit the pavement again and Louis could already see Harry's shoulders start to relax a little. This is what he missed. Carefree Harry. ‘This way.’ Louis gestured with his spoon. The two of them naturally had no idea where they were going, but that wasn’t the point. Getting lost in the middle of a city with his love was fun for Harry. Turning a corner, they came across a small flowered garden with a large wooden bench. ‘C’mon.’ Louis pulled Harry over to the bench by his hand, not letting go as they both sat side by side. Harry let his head rest on Louis’ shoulder as he looked out at the garden, forever grateful that he wasn’t alone. And if his security tore him a new one in the morning, then so be it. All he cared about was here and now. Just the two of them.

‘I wish you didn’t have to go.’ Harry mumbled into the night air, his American fake accent long forgotten. Louis stroked the back of Harry's hand with the pad of his thumb. His heart ached, wishing he could just up and follow Harry with no fears or worries. It sounded so simple when you say it out loud, but they knew better. Stolen moments were all they could have for now. They couldn’t risk being found out, not for a little while at least.

‘Me too Dimples, me too.’ Louis whispered, that familiar Doncaster accent filtering into Harry’s ears, using the affectionate nickname that gave him that comforting feeling he’d been craving since the tour began.

Quietly, Louis began to sing a few lyrics he’d started to pen as his album started to take shape.

You’re the habit that I can’t break,
You’re the feeling I can’t put down.

Harry smiled to himself, deciding in that moment that he’d do whatever it took to keep his relationship together. They just had to make it to 2020. That was going to be their year, he could feel it in his bones.

Chapter Text

Five

‘How’s it sounding?’ Harry called to the tech from the stage, his voice booming around the empty venue. Receiving a thumbs up from Dave, Harry nodded in acknowledgement before he pulled his in-ear buds out and followed the band off the stage. There were always small tweaks to make each night, but they were usually minor lighting adjustments or, on very rare occasions, a change to the set list.

Niall had left him the night before, with Harry’s overwhelming sense of gratitude wrapped around him. The two had always been close, even when the band was still together, but the fact he’d dropped everything and driven up to comfort Harry when he needed it most, meant more to him that he could ever put into words.

Fearful of recent events repeating themselves, Harry had made a strange request to Matt, his manager, that all guests need to be vetoed by Harry himself before they entered the venue. He wasn’t a big fan of surprises at the best of times and this was definitely an unwelcome type of surprise. The kind that knocked the wind out of your lungs and made you feel like you couldn’t breathe.

‘You sound like a rock and roll prick.’ Matt quipped, when Harry had first relayed the instructions. There was a gentle sparkle in his eyes as he spoke, and Harry knew he meant no harm by it. As far as rock and roll went, Harry was pretty tame. Anything that was ever broken was usually down to his own clumsiness rather than him being a “rock star”.

‘Louis appeared in Manchester.’ Harry’s voice was very low as he spoke, desperately fighting back emotion. On those words alone, Matt had instantly agreed and left to find out who would be in the VIP section of the Ibrox Stadium that night.

Finishing up the sound check, Harry found Sarah sat at one of the tables in the catering area. Sitting down opposite her, she nearly jumped out of her skin as he grinned at her.

‘Such a dick...’ she shook her head, putting her phone down and reaching over and ruffling Harry's hair. ‘How you doing H? Found your ghost yet?’ He shook his head, biting down on his bottom lip.

‘I’m still looking.’ It wasn’t a lie, but he wasn’t going to admit he’d spent more hours than was probably healthy looking for Louis. All he’d figured out so far was that he didn’t have a place up North like he used to, that had sold years ago according to the internet. His sisters’ social media pages did little to give away their location either.

It felt strange being on the other side of the fence for once. After spending so many years creating walls around his own privacy, he now wished he could crack down a few of his own. There were no tour dates he could gate crash, no house he could ring the bell of.... he was stuck.

He knew full well that if he employed the right people, he could probably track Louis down by the time he came back off stage, but he didn’t want that. He needed to find Louis himself, whatever that meant. This mission had to stay a secret... a secret between him and Niall obviously.

As the time approached 9 o’clock, he adjusted his yellow beaded necklace and skipped off to the stage to greet the band. He swallowed down all the anxious feelings that were swarming through him and focused on tonight’s show, even though Matt had assured him that there were no surprises in the VIP section tonight. Just some local influencers and Ellie Goulding, for some odd reason.

Fist bumping the band, he took his usual stance on the side of the stage, jumping up and down on the spot to get his heart rate up before he stepped out in front of his fans. On cue, a switch had flicked and he left Sad and broken Harry at the side of the stage, bringing out Flamboyant Harry, for the next 90 minutes at least. That’s what his fans were expecting after all.

*

‘Did you see the screen shot I sent you?’ Niall spoke from the iPad where it rested on Harry’s kitchen work top. With two consecutive Wembley dates around the corner, he felt he deserved a few days at home. Which is where he stood, barefoot and just in a pair of loose beige joggers as he prepped his dinner.

‘Yeah, Lottie's show?’ Harry nodded, dicing some carrots as he spoke. He loved cooking, it was one of his passions that he indulged in whenever he had the chance. During a tour, it was most certainly a rarity. But after weeks of having catering food, he just wanted to cook something for himself.

‘Yeah, if he’s gonna pop up anywhere, it’s going to be there, I reckon.’ Harry had checked out all the tags at Lottie’s recent shows, but there was never an inkling that her older brother had been anywhere near.

‘And how exactly do we go about getting me there?’ Harry raised his eyebrow at his friend. Sadly it had been a very long time since Harry had the ability to go anywhere incognito. It was the price he paid for his fame, after all.

‘Well, maybe we don’t have to get you front and centre.’ There was a pondering expression on Niall’s face, which set off a fear in Harry. That expression alone had gotten him into drinking sessions he could barely remember, into scrapes with fans and nearly got the police on him on one occasion in the early days of the band.

‘I don’t like that look.’ Gesturing at the screen with a chopping knife, Niall looked horrified.

‘I don’t like being on the receiving end of your pointy knife!’ he retorted, a snort coming from Harry as he continued dicing vegetables. ‘Anyway, it's on Saturday.’ Harry froze mid chop. Saturday was two days away and he was expected at Wembley Stadium that night. There was no way he was going to be able to get there and back in time.

‘Don’t over think it.’ Niall warned, and Harry’s brow furrowed. It was a hopeless cause, even if Harry could get there, there’s no certainty that Louis would even be there. He was also very aware of the fact that he could draw a crowd quite rapidly and he didn’t want Lottie to be overwhelmed. She’d worked hard to get where she was, the last thing she needed was an onslaught of fans just because Harry had shown his face.

‘Just do a quick sound check at 1pm, get Mike to drive you over at 2.30pm, hang about a bit, then go back for the show. It’s in Covent Garden.’ Niall made it sound so easy, but Harry knew this was all a big gamble. What if Louis wasn’t there? It would be a big waste of time and security if he wasn’t. But it was the only lead he had. He had to at least try, otherwise it’ll be another scenario to add to the ‘what if’ pile.

‘Okay, I’ll do it.’ Harry nodded, causing Niall to cheer in the background. A small smile played on Harry’s lips as he thought about the fact he could be one step closer to solving the mystery.

‘And if it doesn’t work, we’ll just keep trying until we coax the little shit out of hiding.’ Harry laughed at that, his first genuine laugh in a few days. It felt nice to feel that way again.

Stirring the vegetables in the pan, Harry stared down at the bubbling sauce until his eyes felt a little bit crossed. He had two days to figure out what to say or how to act.

What do you say to the man who broke your heart into a million pieces and then vanished without trace?
As he served up his food and took a seat at his kitchen bar, his phone lit up with a new notification.

Louis Tomlinson leaks new single via Spotify

Of course Harry knew that Louis’ solo career was going strong. He’d purposefully distanced himself from the radio stations so he couldn’t hear that familiar voice, the voice that would take him right back to when he was so madly in love.

In his vulnerable state, Harry found himself scrolling through the Spotify app, his thumb hovering over Louis’ name as he took a deep breath. Selecting the name, Harry fought hard to ignore the big picture of Louis at the top of the page, a beautiful black and white image that perfectly captured the beauty that only Harry saw.
There it was, clear as day, a song called Miss You. With a shaky thumb, he hit play and put the phone down on the table so he could close his eyes.

Is it my imagination? Is it something that I’m taking?
All the smiles that I’m faking,
‘Everything is great, every thing is fucking great’

Harry's eyes screwed shut at the words, hearing Louis saying that phrase over and over whenever he was in a bad mood. He could picture Louis pacing one night, cigarette in one hand and the other pinching the bridge of his nose as the reviews of his latest solo single were less than complementary.

Harry had spent hours trying to convince him not to listen to the haters, to trust in himself and his talent. It hadn’t worked, not immediately anyway. It took a few weeks for Louis to be completely convinced that his hard work was paying off.

We’re dancing on tables, and I’m off my face

A small smile tugged at Harry’s mouth at the thought of Louis drunk, maybe stoned, standing on a table and dancing wildly to whatever music happened to be playing. He’d lost count of the amount of times he’d had to catch Louis whenever he stumbled off a table in a drunken state.

They say ‘Lad, give it time, there’s no need to worry’
And we can’t even be on the phone now, and I can’t even be with you alone now
Oh how shit changes, we’re in love now we’re strangers

Harry's head was spinning at the words. It sounded like Louis was talking directly to him. But that would be madness right? He was convinced his mind was playing tricks on him, especially with all that was going on right now. Harry was definitely reading too much into this, that much he was sure of.

But the words rang true; they were strangers now. Harry had no idea what was going on in Louis’ life anymore, he didn’t even know where he lived. The thought twisted his heart and he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. Not that any of this was his fault. He never asked Louis to walk away, abandon their relationship when it was just about to change for the better.

Should be laughing but there’s something wrong,
Shit, maybe I miss you.

Harry’s heart almost stopped in his chest as he heard the words. This was definitely about him. The worst part was, he never stopped missing Louis.

Not for one minute.

Chapter Text

Six

‘What are you saying?’ Harry whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched Louis pace the hotel room in front of him. Pain and torment were etched on his love’s face, but Harry had no desire to soothe it away. He sat on the edge of the bed that they had shared just the night before, the sheets still crumpled from where they'd poorly remade the bed. Harry's fingers grasped the covers so tightly that his knuckles were white.

Bile was rising in his throat as the walls around him felt like they were closing in. His world was collapsing around him and there was nothing he could do to hold it together. Louis was slipping away from him but all he could think was 'not now, not after everything they’d been through’.

How was he going to live without seeing Louis every day? Being a part of his life? The thought of not waking up to those beautiful blue eyes made Harry want to curl up in a ball and never leave this room ever again. Harry couldn’t really comprehend what was going on. He was numb.

‘I can’t do it H. I can’t...’ Louis muttered, running his hand over his face, shaking his head slowly. His voice was breaking, unshed tears pooling in his eyes. Harry’s gazed fixed on the younger lad, waiting for him to say he was joking, say anything that made this all go away and just be a horrible dream.

‘Can’t? Or won’t?’ Harry failed to hide the bitterness in his tone, which made Louis visibly flinch and pale significantly at the tone of Harry’s voice. It was a tone he’d only ever heard once before, when Louis had almost gotten manhandled by a guy in a club a few years ago. Back then it had been endearing and made Louis fall further in love. Now it made him shiver with fear. ‘We’ve finally got the chance to be who we want to be, and you want to walk!’ His green eyes were on fire, fury and hurt projecting from them.

Their contracts were on the verge of expiring, days away in fact. The contract that had made them hide their impending relationship for so many years, was on the cusp of ending. After many legal battles, they were finally about to walk away from the contracts which had held them back for so long. Harry had been so excited to finally share his love to the world, but just a couple of hours ago it had all come crushing down. Louis hadn’t been as keen to bring their relationship to the public, terrified of the reaction from friends and family alike. The last thing he wanted was for anyone to start treating him differently.

It was 2019, PRIDE was a huge hit the world over, but he still didn’t have the courage to come out, even with the love and support he had from Harry and the rest of the band. Despite the countless rainbow flags he’d been given whenever he stepped on stage, the support already out there for them without either of them realising, he couldn’t find the courage. Louis knew he couldn’t be the partner Harry deserved, so he thought the kindest thing to do was set him free.

Harry was flitting between utter devastation and sheer fury. He had just purchased a fucking house to be nearer to Louis. He was going to ask him to move in with him the next day, the moment he picked up the keys. His heart broke even further as he remembered excitedly planning summer evenings sitting out on the decking with a fire pit and a good wine. Memories that had just gone up in smoke. Harry felt physically sick. ‘That’s not fair.’ Louis mumbled, his hands fisting by his sides. He was practically chewing his bottom lip, just like he did when he was nervous or uncomfortable. ‘I’m not you H, I don’t have that confidence to just be me. Not the way you do.’

‘That’s bullshit and you know it.’ Harry spat, getting to his feet. Shaking his head, he stepped away from Louis, knowing if he was too close then he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from pulling him into his arms and kissing him until he stayed.

The silence was deafening, the only sound to be heard was Louis’ shaky breaths as he fought desperately between his head and his heart. Unfortunately for Harry, Louis’ head was leading this battle and it was showing no signs of backing down.

In the weeks leading up to this night, Louis had spent sleepless nights just staring at the ceiling, his mind spiralling as he contemplated his options once their contracts were over. He knew he wouldn’t have the courage to proclaim his love to Harry to the world, when it came down to the moment of truth. He was a fucking coward, he knew it. He hated himself for what he was doing, but he knew Harry deserved better than just being some secret, a shadow in the background. He was centre stage, but Louis was a mere stage hand in this scenario.

‘I’m sorry.’ Louis finally met his eyes, knowing if he did it for too long, he’d never be able to walk away. He could hear Harry’s heart breaking inside his chest, the tears now falling freely down his beautiful face. Louis cursed himself at the fact that the tears were his fault. He crouched in front of Harry, balancing between his knees as he used his thumb to wipe away fresh tears that had just fallen.

‘Sorry? You’re sorry? Harry was shouting now, but he really didn’t give a fuck. Even if people in the hotel heard, he really didn’t care. Worst case scenario, they'd be found out and he wouldn’t need to lie anymore. ‘Four years we’ve been doing this, fighting to be together. I don’t want you to leave.’ Harry added sadly, playing with his cross necklace that Louis had brought him the year previous.

‘You deserve better than me.’ Louis’ voice was barely a whisper. His eyes were red and puffy from tears, his shoulders slouched from where he now stood leant against the desk. ‘You deserve someone who can give you the world.’ He truly believed that, even if that meant Louis wasn’t that person.

‘I deserve you.’ Harry mumbled sadly. He couldn’t hide the pleading look on his face, but he wasn’t going to beg. He wouldn’t be that guy, even though he really wanted to.

Harry didn’t understand what he’d done wrong. This was his Louis, how could he just walk away from their relationship? They had fought to be a couple for so long, when they could finally celebrate their love, Louis was pulling the rug out from underneath him.

‘No, you deserve so much better than me. You don’t see it now, but you will. I promise. I’ll always love you.’ Louis whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Harry’s lips before getting to his feet. Without another word, he picked up his bag and was gone.

Getting to his feet, Harry reached for the white vase that had been sitting on top of the chest of drawers in the room. With all his might, he threw the vase at the hotel suite door, enjoying the vase shattering into a thousand pieces like his heart was in his chest.

‘LIAR!’ He screamed at the door, sobbing violently as his body crumbled into a heap on the floor. Whilst his heart shattered inside the hotel room, Harry was completely unaware of the slightly older lad on the opposite side of the door, his head rested back against the cold wall as tears ran down his face.

*

He’d broken his love's heart, and that was always going to be a bitter pill for Louis to swallow. Knowing he couldn’t be the man that Harry needed him to be was always going to break him, stopping him from finding anyone else in the three years that followed.

He still hadn’t come out, still hiding who he was to the outside world. He hadn’t exactly met anyone either, so there was no-one to come out with or for.

Logging out of all of his social media accounts, Louis decided to step back for a while. Take the time to just breathe without feeling like he had to be somewhere or someone; a fresh break.

The first thing he did was put his London property up for sale. He couldn’t bare to be somewhere he’d shared so many memories with Harry. He had, however, bought back the apartment they’d shared at Princess Park back in 2011. It was going to be a surprise, but that fell flat on it’s face. Deciding that place was too exposed for the journalists who plagued him during the band days, he relocated to Doncaster, disappearing into the underground so he could just be.

Chapter Text

Seven

Harry sat down at the table, quickly regretting his life decisions as music pounded around him. The bar was busy, which was hardly a surprise for a Friday night. After a barrage of persistent phone calls from his best friend, Harry had relented and joined Niall and Oli at an exclusive bar in London. If he had to leave his house, he wanted to be somewhere he wouldn’t be bothered by fans.

Taking in his surroundings, Harry was rapidly wishing he’d just ignored Niall’s calls and stayed at home under the comfort of his duvet. It was hot and loud and just not what Harry needed right now, it was making him feel uncomfortable and making his anxiety flare up.

‘I’m glad you finally left the house!’ Niall cheered, putting a glass of wine down in front of Harry. If nothing else, the alcohol would take the edge off his anxiety. Taking a large sip, Harry gratefully enjoyed the cooling liquid before returning his glass to the table. Oli appeared moments later, a tray of shots in his hands. This wasn’t going to end well.

‘Here you go fuckers.’ Oli chuckled, passing out the shot glasses. Begrudgingly, Harry took one of the small glasses and eyed it suspiciously. Realising if you can't beat them, you have to join them, he threw back the liquid and almost retched as the taste of Sambuca filled his throat.

‘You bastard.’ Harry hissed, grateful that he at least has tomorrow morning to sleep off whatever alcohol induced state he was going to end up in later. Oli simply flashed him a wide grin and then buggered off back towards the dancefloor. Getting to his feet, he walked towards the balcony of the area they were sat in and just looked out at the crowd.

For a brief moment, he let himself wonder if Louis was thinking about him. Did he care what Harry was doing anymore? Did he wonder if Harry had moved on? His consistent single status had caused several pages to speculate about his sexuality, but he didn’t care. Sexuality was fluid, as far as Harry believed. But still.

He watched the bodies dance below him, his mind floating back to the times that the band used to sneak into clubs to hide from fans but enjoy being young lads. He and Louis used to dance regularly, indulging in the opportunity to be close in public. Hands brushed against each other, bodies flush as they danced, fingertips grazing thighs in such a way that they always ended up leaving early to enjoy each other in a more private setting.

‘H.’ Niall’s voice interrupted his thoughts, but the tone he used filled Harry with fear. ‘You need to see this.’ Turning his phone to face him, he saw Louis’ Instagram profile. There was a video of Louis stood on a table, dancing and throwing his arms around. He was dressed casually in black jeans and a t-shirt which looked oddly familiar to Harry. The video must’ve been taken on a phone as it was unsteady. He was clearly drunk, and there were people scattered around his feet, egging him on.

‘I’m just gonna...’ Harry pointed away from the crowd, taking Niall's phone to a more secluded spot. Turning up the volume, he heard the familiar tune from King’s of Leon in the background. He watched his love move, feeling slightly uneasy as he knew if he fell then nobody would catch him.

‘Ohhh, your sex is on fire!’ Louis shouted, thrusting his hands in the air as his t-shirt lifted to expose a toned midriff. Harry gulped, his eyes fixed on that small patch of skin, remembering how it felt to connect his lips to that part of Louis’ body. His cheeks flushed at the thought, and he was glad that he was hidden from other people.

He wasn’t sure if this video was new or old, but judging by the new tattoos on Louis’ left arm, it was recent enough.

‘Come on Louis, get down now.’ One of his friends held out their arms, shouting at him above the music.

‘No!’ Louis snapped, swatting away the hands that were trying to help him down. Harry’s stomach twisted, please don’t fall he prayed, as Louis continued dancing and singing at the top of his voice. Again, the hands reached up to help him down.

‘Get off me! Dimples?? Where’s Dimples? I need him! Someone find him now!’ Louis looked around him, frowning deeply as he scanned the crowd, confusion written on his face. Louis was obviously so out of it that he didn’t seem to realise that Harry wasn’t around anymore.

Harry’s breath caught in his throat at the sound of the nickname. His nickname, the one Louis only ever used in private, when they were shut away from the world. It was then he saw the hashtag underneath, his heart stopping momentarily as he read.

#missyousun

Harry blinked a few times, just to check he wasn’t dreaming. The use of ‘sun’ was a Louis thing for definite. This meant the post was definitely for him, to him.

No way would Louis’ team have uploaded that video, let alone used that hashtag. Louis had personally uploaded the video and added the hashtag for Harry to see. There absolutely was no other explanation.

What was he trying to say? Did he miss Harry? Did he want him back? His heart was racing in his chest as a hundred questions swirled round in his mind.

Harry hadn’t realised that tears were falling down his face until Niall appeared back at his side, taking the phone out of Harry’s hand and bundling him up in a hug. Harry sobbed into his shoulder, years of pent up emotion finally coming to the fore.

‘Let’s go home.’ Niall spoke gently, wrapping an arm around Harry’s shoulders as he guided him to the back of the club and into an awaiting car. The tears kept falling as Harry rested his head against the cool glass. This all felt so fucked up and his head was swimming from it all.

*

‘What the fuck is he playing at?’ Harry snapped, as Niall opened his front door and encouraged the younger guy inside. His tears had now flipped to anger and he paced the kitchen, almost wishing he had a cigarette to calm his nerves. Almost.

‘I don’t know.’ The Irishman shook his head, running a hand through his dark hair. Concern was written all over his face. Harry might’ve had a drink or two but he hadn’t stayed at the club long enough to be drunk. ‘Do you want me to stay? I’m not sure I want to leave you alone right now.’

‘I’ll be ok.’ Harry sighed, hoping it was the truth. ‘You know me.’ A wry smile played on his face as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

‘That’s exactly why I offered to stay.’

‘Harsh.’ Harry chuckled, shaking his head. He didn’t want to eat into Niall's night any more than he already had. Harry didn’t want to be babysat. ‘But I’ll be fine. You’re only 15 minutes away if I need you.’

‘Don’t forget that.’ Niall warned, giving Harry another hug before he left him alone in his kitchen. Harry leaned against the kitchen worktop and stared at the floor. Tonight had been such a whirlwind, his brain didn’t quite know what to do. There was no way he’d be able to sleep, that’s for sure.

He jumped as his phone beeped a short time later with a new message notification. Thinking it was Niall telling him that he was home safe, he grabbed the phone without thinking. It was from an unknown number, which threw Harry completely. His personal number was a closely guarded secret.

Seeing the notification, his eyes went wide and he threw the phone back onto the kitchen island like it was on fire and about to burn his skin.

Unknown - Please can we talk? Lx

Harry stared at the phone as though it was some sort of rabid monster. He almost wanted to get a hammer and smash the bloody thing to pieces. But he knew he’d regret it seconds after he’d done irreparable damage.

Picking up the phone, Harry wrote out a message three times. None of them seemed right, not really encompassing what he wanted to say.

...Go fuck yourself, you prick
...What the fuck do you want?
...How dare you show up at my show!

Shaking his head, Harry sent back a simple message.

Okay. H

Hurriedly putting the phone back on the table, Harry took himself off to bed, leaving the phone on the kitchen worktop so he didn’t have to see whether Louis messaged back or not.

Chapter Text

Eight

Harry groaned as he woke the next morning, having clearly slept in a difficult position during the night. At least, during the short spells in which he actually managed to get some sleep. Stretching his long body, he sighed as his back cracked in that satisfying way before pulling himself up to the side of the bed, swinging his feet onto the floor.

He knew that his phone was still on the kitchen side and part of him didn’t want to see if he’d received a reply. It was a bit like Schrödinger’s Cat. Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he padded his way through the house and found his way to the kitchen. Flipping his phone over, his heart leapt into his throat as he saw the notification.

Thank you. Let me know where and when, I’ll be there. Lx

There was also another message, thankfully from Niall.

Brunch? Xx

The chuckle that left his lips at Niall's message almost overpowered the discomfort at seeing Louis’. He swore the man was always hungry, even after a meal. After arranging to meet Niall at Denny’s Diner within the hour, he turned his focus back to Louis.

He debated whether to let him into his home, have the conversation somewhere he was comfortable. Then he realised he wanted the option to leave, if he so chose.

I’ll come to you. Send me the address and time. I will need to be at Wembley for 2pm. H

Ok, great. Meet me at Princess Park for 11am. Our old place. I’ll text the entry code, it’s changed. Lx

Harry’s stomach twisted, unsure whether he wanted to be back there again. Princess Park held so many old memories that Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to face the conversation feeling level headed.

*

Strolling into the diner, sunglasses pushed onto his face, Harry smiled at the sight of his best friend sat at a corner table reading a menu. With his white hoody pulled onto his head, he looked like a cute little teddy bear.

‘Hey H!’ Niall smiled brightly, leaning forward to give Harry a hug before sitting back down. There was something comforting about Denny’s Diner.

Sure, it was a little bit tatty around the edges with its red and white chequered tablecloths and retro sugar dispensers, but they loved it. Some of the older waitresses knew them by name, even before they were famous, and were always happy to hear of their tales of being on the road.

‘Hey Harry, hey Niall!’ Sally cooed over them, acting as though they were her own grandchildren. They both smiled at her warmly, ordering their usual treats before Sally left them to fetch hot tea.

‘So this happened last night...’ Harry started, opening his messaging app and turning his phone round to face Niall. Pulling his multi-coloured cardigan around him, he held his breath as he watched Niall’s eyes move down the screen. His mouth fell open in shock as he finished reading the short exchange.

‘The man has balls, I’ll give him that.’ He drawled, shaking his head. ‘Are you actually going to go?’ Niall cocked his head to the side, a slight frown on his face as he watched Harry curiously.

Harry knew he wouldn’t back out of seeing Louis. No matter how much he’d been hurt, there was still a draw there. A connection he couldn’t deny, even if he wanted to. He loved the man with his heart, mind and soul. He knew he couldn’t say no. Slowly, Harry nodded but he knew Niall understood.

‘He wants me to go to Princess Park. Our old place.’ Harry muttered, playing with a loose thread on the sleeve of his jumper. ‘He must’ve bought it back.’ The apartment at Princess Park went up for sale many years ago, when Harry and Louis decided they needed more privacy.

‘Wow, that’s deep.’ Niall muttered, thanking Sally gratefully as two plates of food were placed in front of them. Harry jabbed at the pancakes in front of him, his stomach growling but his mind not on food. ‘When are you going there?’

‘11am.’ He glanced down at his watch, knowing he’d be seeing Louis in just over an hour. He’d called his driver because he didn’t trust himself to actually drive there. Or not crash on the drive through London.

‘Wow H, are you going to be ok going alone?’ Niall’s expression was littered with concerned. Whilst Harry appreciated the offer, he knew he had to face Louis by himself. Biting his bottom lip, he nodded, even though a small part of him wanted some moral support. Technically they had already seen each other recently.

‘I'm shitting it.’ Harry admitted, taking a sip of his coffee and wishing it was something stronger. Anything that could take the edge off the fear that was currently flowing through his veins at the thought of being so close to Louis.

‘Just don’t let him get in your head.’ Niall warned gently, reaching out and putting a hand on Harry’s arm. He knew he’d made the right choice of meeting Louis on his territory, but that didn’t lessen his fears any further. He still had no idea what Louis wanted, why he was at the show or why he needed to talk to Harry.

‘I will do my best.’ Harry whispered, knowing Louis was the only person who could get into his head and his heart simultaneously. They knew each other inside and out, how to press each other’s buttons in good ways or bad.

‘You know where I am if you need me. Just let me know if I need my shotgun or my kitchen knives.’ Niall winked at him and Harry nearly spat pancake all over the table, forever grateful for Mr Horan.

*

As the car pulled into the familiar driveway, Harry felt his heart start to pound in his chest. Every part of his body was screaming at him to turn around, go home and forget this ever happened. Knowing Louis was inside the building was an uncomfortable feeling, waiting for Harry to ring the bell.

Unsure how long the conversation would take, he told his driver Sam he'd call when he needed collecting. Stepping out of the car, Harry looked up at the familiar building and released a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding. Walking up to the door, he typed in the entry code and sighed in relief as the door unlocked.

His feet felt like lead as he walked down the corridor, his brain on autopilot as he made his way towards the familiar front door. Lifting his hand slowly, he quickly checked his phone for the time. 10.59am. Curling his fingers into a fist, he rapped on the door three times.
In that moment, he’d lost count of how many times he’d knocked that same front door whenever he’d forgotten his keys. Praying that Louis was home so he could get back in. His lips turned up in a smile at the memories, a fondness filling his heart.

The sound of a lock and the door slowly opening snapped Harry back to reality. Then, there he was, the vision that had plagued Harry’s dreams for so long. Dressed casually in a red hoody and black joggers. His feet bare, as usual. He had a slight stubble, as though he’d forgotten to shave that morning. His hair was swept back off his face, in a way that made Harry’s knees weak, but he knew it was because Louis had combed his fingers back through it countless times out of nerves.

‘Hey, H.’ A lopsided smile greeted Harry and his breath caught in his throat. Unable to talk, he just gulped quietly before Louis stepped back to let him in. It took him a few seconds for his feet to work, but he stepped into the hallway and the memories hit him like a freight train. Everything looked exactly as they’d left it all those years ago.

Gathering himself, Harry knew he had to be strong. He couldn’t let Louis know that he’d got to him. Striding down the familiar hallway, he found the kitchen and sat down at the table, soft footsteps following closely behind.

‘Coffee?’ Louis offered meekly, biting down on his lower lip. Harry had to fight the urge to pull the lip out from underneath his teeth. Harry slowly shook his head.

‘What do you want Louis?’ The words bit through the silence and the older lad visibly jumped. This wasn’t a side of Louis that Harry was used to. Gone was the familiar sass of Louis Tomlinson, here stood a version he didn’t recognise. He looked vulnerable, small... broken. Harry narrowed his eyes at him as he waited for a reply.

‘I wanted to see you.’ Came a very quiet voice. The tone twisted at Harry’s heart but he wasn’t backing down now. Briefly turning his back, Louis flicked on the kettle and tossed a teabag into a mug.

‘You did that at Manchester.’ Harry snapped back, feeling guilty as Louis’ gaze snapped to the floor.

‘Sorry.’ He muttered, feeling guilty. ‘My brain is still adjusting to whatever... whatever is going on. You just showed up at my gig, Lou! No warning, nothing. Then you vanish and I can’t find you. The next thing I know, you’re uploading a personal video on Instagram using my nickname! I just don’t get it.’ His eyes slid closed as he took a deep breath. He could hear the sound of Louis finishing his tea in the background before the sound of the chair opposite him being pulled out and what he assumed was Louis sitting down.

‘H, please open your eyes.’

Chapter Text

Nine

Harry slowly opened his eyes to see Louis sat opposite him, looking nervous as hell. His gaze was lowered onto the table, eyes filled with unshed tears as his hands tightly clutched onto his cup of tea. Louis was one of those people who always believed that a cup of tea could make everything better when you’re sad.

‘I made a mistake.’ Louis started, but as Harry went to open his mouth, he shook his head slowly to stop him from interrupting. ‘Please, please let me finish.’ He pleaded, in a tone he wasn't used to using. Harry nodded in reply, folding his hands into his lap and biting his lips together as he waited patiently for Louis to continue.

‘I made a monumental fucking mistake, the worst mistake ever.’ He took a deep breath, as Harry blinked in shock. ‘That day, in the hotel room, I was such a coward. I don’t even recognise that person anymore. But I knew, if I wanted to win you back, be the partner you deserved, I needed to get my shit in order.’ Harry's heart leapt in his chest. He hadn’t expected those words, not after the words that had been exchanged that day. He was struggling to remember how much pain he’d gone through the day Louis left him and broke him into pieces.

‘But you said...’ the words were almost inaudible as Harry spoke, his eyebrows knotting together in confusion.

‘I know.’ Louis said softly, knowing he had told Harry he could never be the man he knew Harry needed. But the second he shut the hotel room door behind him, Louis knew he wanted to be. He just needed to figure out how.

‘I did a lot of growing up during the last three years. I went to therapy, I did some volunteering and I took myself off to LA again for a bit. Just to get some space. I sold the house in London because it was just too painful. So many memories, which is fucking ironic given where we’re sat right now!’ A sad chuckle fell from his lips and he wiped away a stray tear from his cheek.

Harry stared at Louis, feeling his walls slowly starting to crumble as he watched him unfolding, so raw, in front of him. This confession was already meaning more to him than any love declaration ever could.

‘But I knew, there was nobody else for me H. You were it, you were my soul mate. I haven’t even so much as looked at another person since you.’ Harry’s heart swelled in his chest at the thought. He hadn’t found anyone during that time either. Green eyes met blue as Louis cradled his tea like it was giving him the courage to carry on spilling his heart to Harry.

‘So I went and got my head together. I sold the football club, sold the house and I started to build my management company, LWT Management. I kept it under the radar, but I’ve actually got a decent portfolio now.’ A weak smile played on his lips, a surge of pride creeping through Harry. ‘I wasn’t you, or Zayn, I knew my solo career was rocky at best. So I needed a fall back. Supporting acts from the beginning seems to suit me. Clearly I learned something over the last decade.’

As Louis spoke, Harry saw his confidence starting to bloom behind his eyes. He couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Louis had taken responsibility for his life, finally. He’d stopped living on his One Direction earnings and started to carve a life for himself. You never knew when your fortunes would change in this industry, so it was always important to lay down foundations somewhere.

‘But there was one more thing I had to do. To prove to you that I have changed.’ Louis took a deep, shaking breath and walked over to the kitchen worktop. He picked up what looked like a magazine and placed it down in front of him. Harry gasped and his hands flew to his mouth as his eyes landed on the front cover. Before him was Attitude magazine. On the front page, a beautiful black and white photograph of Louis, the type that showed off his chiselled cheekbones and stunning eyes. The title, in big bold letters read, Louis Tomlinson comes out to the world and declares his one true love.

‘Lou...’ Harry breathed, his fingers gently running over the glossy front page. His heart was racing in his chest as he read the words he so desperately wanted to hear for so long.

‘It will go online midnight on Monday.’ Louis continued, watching Harry flick through the pages to the interview as he held his breath. Harry’s eyes scanned the interview, falling on one of the quotes – “I fell in love with Harry Styles when I was 20 years old. He’s my soul mate.”

Looking up at Louis, Harry acted with his heart and not his head. Getting to his feet, he grabbed Louis’ hoody and pulled him into his body, crashing his lips down on Louis’. A startled noise came from the elder lad, both of them taken by surprise by Harry’s actions.

Seconds later, his hands found Harry’s waist and held him close. Louis kissed him back, that wave of familiarity drawing them close together as they both instantly remembered how the other loved to be kissed, to be held. Louis’ hands made their way up Harry’s body, weaving themselves into his hair and tugging gently.

A soft moan vibrated from Harry’s mouth at the action, causing Louis to smile against his lips. The emotions surging through Harry were overwhelming and he was struggling to breathe. It felt so good to be in Louis’ arms again, but it was too much. Breaking the kiss, Harry rested his forehead against Louis’ before jumping back out of his hold as though a bolt of lightning had shot through him.

‘Fuck.’ Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair as Louis tenderly reached up to touch his own swollen lips. ‘I’m sorry, I-’

‘Don’t be, baby.’ Louis whispered, the endearment making Harry’s knees weak. Sitting back down at the table, Harry held his head in his hands. His mind was racing after everything he had just heard and seen. To say he was confused was an understatement. He was also desperate to be back in Louis’ arms again, feel him again.

‘You broke my heart.’ He muttered into his fingers, unable to look Louis in the eye. The chair opposite moved again and Harry knew Louis had sat down. Gentle hands rested on Harry's, pulling them away from his face.

‘There will never be enough apologies in the world to make up for what I did to you. How I hurt you.’ Louis’ voice was gentle, his hands still holding onto Harry’s as he spoke. ‘I’m sorry for just showing up at Manchester. I knew the article was pending and I wanted to talk to you. But I was too chicken shit. So I ran again. Keeping my appearance off social media was a nightmare. So much money paid out.’ So that’s how he did it, Harry mused. Throw money at a problem and it’ll somehow disappear. Sounds like something Louis would do.

‘I couldn’t track you down.’ Harry sighed, recalling the countless hours that Niall and he had spent browsing online. ‘I didn’t even have a phone number.’ He didn’t feel it was best to tell Louis that he was going to show up at Lottie’s show, it was meaningless now.

‘I’m so sorry. I just checked out, from everything. You know I’d never let those tabloid bastards know where I live anyway.’ A dry chuckle left his lips and Harry smiled lightly. He wasn’t sure what this meant, for either of them, but he knew he didn’t want to stop talking, even though time was limited. Looking down at his phone, he sighed. ‘I need to get back to Wembley, I have sound check soon.’

‘Do you want me to drop you there?’ This was a first. Louis had never offered before, the pair both nervous of being seen together and the speculation that would ensue. Harry had two choices, accept the offer or call Sam. There was a hopeful look on Louis face, one which Harry couldn’t refuse.

‘Sure.’ He smiled. Knowing the article was days away from being released, it didn’t matter if they were seen together. They’d handle the press as usual, but there were no contracts hanging over their heads anymore.

With an excitable smile that made Harry chuckle with fond, Louis disappeared to grab his keys and trainers.

Harry followed him to the underground car park, jumping as a Range Rover bleeped open and Louis hopped inside. Reaching for a pair of sunglasses, he shoved them on top of his head as Harry got comfortable. The whole scenario felt oddly domestic for someone who Harry had been terrified of seeing just a couple of hours before. As they drove towards the stadium, Louis broke the silence.

‘Would it be ok if... If I came tonight?’ Harry snorted at the question, his mind immediately jumping to the gutter in Louis’ company. Moments later, Louis laughed too as he realised what he’d said. ‘Such a filthy mind.’ He shook his head with a smile, a pink tinge on his cheeks. ‘I meant can I come and see the show? I’d like to see the whole thing.’ His nerves were so endearing,

Harry only debated for a moment, before nodding.
‘I’ll get Matt to put you on the guest list.’ Harry smiled over at Louis, butterflies forming in his stomach. He’d always envisioned Louis being at his shows, watching proudly from the stands as he entertained the crowd in the way only Harry could.

‘Thank you.’ Louis whispered, reaching over and gently squeezing Harry’s hand before returning it to the steering wheel. Tingles erupted on his skin at the contact, just as they always had.

Harry looked over at his driving companion, taking in the way the early afternoon sun fell on his face. Louis’ left hand casually sat on the console between them, his right leant over the steering wheel as he effortlessly navigated through North London. Harry would usually have taken Louis’ left hand in his own when he was sat in the passenger seat, but he found himself battling with muscle memory. Instead, he had to settle for enjoying Louis’ wild gesturing whenever someone cut them up or didn’t drive fast enough for him.

As they pulled up into Wembley, Louis drove up at the security entrance, winding down the window and resting his arm on the ledge.

‘Alright mate? I’ve got Harry Styles.’ Louis nodded towards Harry, who smiled politely from the passenger seat with a small wave. The security guard leant down, peering at Harry through the open window and chuckled.

‘Course you have mate. Good lookalike though.’ He rolled his eyes and was about to tell them to get, when Harry’s quick thinking burst into action.

Tastes like strawberries, on a summer evening, and it sounds just like a song...

He sung loudly, sitting back in his seat and twiddling his thumbs, hoping the faux arrogance he was exuding was enough. Beside him, Louis raised his sunglasses onto his head to look the guard in the eye.

‘Shall we try that again?’ Louis drawled, cocking his head to the side.

‘I’m so sorry Mr Styles, Mr Tomlinson. Go on through.’ The guard stuttered and Harry bit down on his lip to hold back a laugh.

‘Cheers love.’ Louis tipped an imaginary hat at the guard before speeding towards the back stage area. As he put the car in park, the two of them burst out into laughter at the whole scenario.

‘That was brilliant!’ Louis chuckled, tossing his head back. Harry wiped tears from his eyes as he laughed, a whole body laugh that he hadn’t experienced in so long. ‘You looked like such an arrogant fucker then!’

‘Don’t they know who we are?’ Harry mocked, waving his hands about jokingly. As the laughter subsided, he realised he needed to be inside the stadium. The band would be waiting for him and he was starving. Hopefully catering would rustle something up for him.

‘So I’ll see you later? On the stage?’ Louis asked nervously, biting down on his lower lip again. The thought of Louis watching from the VIP box excited Harry no end. More than anything, he wanted to put on a good show.

‘Yes, I’ll make sure you can get in.’ Harry smiled gently, his phone buzzing making him jump.

Where are you arseface? Sound check is due to begin and you’re not here. Please don't tell me I need to punch Tommo in the face already xx

‘Niall.’ He nodded to his phone, causing Louis to nod in recognition. He had to break the news to Niall that he’ll be sharing the box tonight with his former bandmate and current nemesis. ‘I better go.’ Harry added, gesturing towards the venue. Without thinking, he leant forward and kissed Louis on the cheek, ignoring the blush that had crept on his cheeks as Louis wished him good luck and waved him goodbye. Harry watched as Louis drove off, his tyres squealing on the tarmac.

For the first time, he didn’t care if anyone had captured the moments on camera. There was no fear of being caught, not anymore. In a few days time, Louis will officially be ‘out’ and then... well who knows right now.

Things had definitely changed, Harry mused, as he walked into the backstage area towards sound check.

As he collected his mic pack and strolled out onto the stage, he fought back the thought of whether or not he could trust Louis again, deciding to play this one by ear. For the first time ever.

Chapter Text

Ten

Every second he stood on the stage that night, Harry was hyper aware of a certain pair of blue eyes watching him. But this time, he didn’t falter; no missing microphones tonight. He’d even thrown in a small surprise for Louis, but thankfully the band were happy for him to take the reigns for one song. He was also hoping that Niall wasn’t giving Louis a hard time up in the box.

‘Good evening London! How are we all doing?’ Harry grinned widely as 65,000 people screamed back at him. A lump formed at the back of his throat as he surveyed the scene. He couldn’t believe how many people were stood before him, just to see him play his music. It was an unbelievable high. He felt so grateful in that moment.

‘Wow, it’s great to be here!’ Harry's voice broke a little as he adjusted his guitar and gazed out at the crowd. ‘So I’m going to play a song I haven’t sung live in a while. This song is so special to me, I wanted to share it with all of you tonight.’

He glanced up at the VIP box and saw Louis stood front and centre, the proudest smile plastered on his face. It was just how Harry imagined life could have been if they hadn’t lost those three years.

‘This is If I Could Fly'. The crowd's screams were stronger than he’d heard all night, but he hadn’t missed the hands that flew up to his love’s mouth in shock. He’d written that song years ago, back when they were in the band. The words were always for Louis, and he’d known that the day the track made the album. However, this was the first time he’d sung it alone, to an audience.

If I could fly, I'd be comin' right back home to you
I think I might, give up everything, just ask me to
Pay attention, I hope that you listen
'Cause I let my guard down
Right now I'm completely defenceless

Harry looked up from his guitar to the VIP box as the crowd sung the chorus and his heart leapt into his throat. No, no, no, no... Panic flew through Harry’s veins as he focused on playing, trying to put Louis out of his mind, but he caught Niall’s eye. He was pointing down to the side of the stage and had the biggest smile on his face.

Glancing to his left, he saw that Louis was now stood to the side of the stage, just out of sight of the fans. Louis’ beautiful blue eyes were brimming with tears as he bit his lip, one hand over his heart. Harry’s heart swelled in his chest as he turned back to his fans to finish the song.

For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart
For when you're lonely, and forget who you are
I'm missing half of me, when we're apart
Now you know me, for your eyes only

Bowing to the crowd, Harry walked to the side of the stage, passing his guitar back to the tech and standing toe to toe with Louis. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

‘I love you.’ Harry whispered, his green eyes sparkling as he smiled at Louis. Leaning down, he captured Louis’ lips with his own, a soft gentle kiss saying everything that both men needed to hear right now.

‘I love you too.’ Louis smiled, giving Harry another gentle kiss. ‘Now go finish your show. I’ll be waiting.’
With the biggest smile on his face in as long as he could remember, Harry skipped back onto the stage to launch into As It Was.

*

Blowing kisses to the crowd, Harry’s eyes filled with emotional tears as he left the stage. Every time he played a home crowd, he felt that overwhelming sense of pride.

As promised, Louis stayed by the side of the stage the rest of the concert, blissfully unaware of the few people who had spotted him from the front of the crowd. But this time, it really didn’t matter. Let them talk, he thought to himself. For the first time ever, he really didn’t care.

Leaving the stage, hot and sweaty, he fist bumped his band before turning his attention to Louis.
‘Come home with me?’ Harry asked, holding out his hand. Interlinking his fingers with Harry’s, Louis followed him out of the venue and in to the awaiting car.

‘You were amazing tonight H.’ Louis gushed, pride written all over his face. Harry smiled bashfully, having craved the praise for so long. He knew they needed to talk, figure out what their next move was. But for now he just wanted to enjoy. ‘Here.’ He passed Harry his phone, which was lit up with a few notifications. Scanning through them all briefly, he stopped as he came across one in particular.

Louist91 mentioned you in a post

Opening Instagram, Harry’s heart started to race as he saw the photo that Louis had uploaded. It was of him on stage just an hour before, looking carefree and happy. Underneath, he’d captioned the photo.

Baby, you are the love of my life...

Harry nearly dropped his phone in shock. After three years, Louis was doing all that he could to show Harry that he loved him and he wanted the world to know. This time, he was happy for the world to know he was there, supporting his love like he always should have. Looking up, there was a bashful smile on Louis face.

‘I told you I’d show you H, and I will. I feel awful about what I did back then. But now I want the world to know you’re mine.’ He pulled Harry’s hand up to his face and kissed his knuckles gently. ‘That is, if you want to be?’

‘More than anything.’ Harry smiled, feeling like that giddy teen again back in Sydney. He knew he should take his time with this, restart their relationship slowly. But there were so many grand gestures going on around him and he just felt swept up in emotion. As much as he tried to kid himself otherwise, Louis had his whole heart.

‘I know I have a lot of making up to do and I know that things are going to go 100 miles an hour pretty shortly, but I’m willing to spend however long it takes making it up to you. I can promise you that.’ The look on Louis’ face was so genuine, but deep down Harry was still nervous. This was unchartered territory and he knew he had to tread carefully.

‘Here we are Harry.’ Sam called out as they approached Harry’s drive. With a quick thank you, the two left the car and Harry let them in via the side door of his house. Flicking on the lights, he made his way to the kitchen and put the kettle on. Even after all these years, he knew Louis would always want a cup of tea after a gig. Whether he played it or watched it.

‘Are you making tea?’ Louis chuckled, as Harry spun round to face him. A bashful smile played on his lips as he reached for a mug and a tea bag. If Harry sometimes made himself a cup of tea to feel closer to Louis, he didn’t need to tell him right now.

‘Yeah.’ Harry smiled, suddenly very aware of the fact he was sweaty and still in his stage clothes. ‘I’m just gonna grab a quick shower. You ok to finish off the tea?’

‘Sure thing.’ Louis shrugged off his jacket and put his phone down on the side along with a packet of cigarettes. ‘Might have a crafty one whilst you do.’
‘On the patio.’ Harry winked, before leaving Louis alone in the kitchen, a small chuckle reaching his ears as he ran up the stairs.

Ten minutes later, Harry found Louis stood outside, tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He smiled at the fact that Louis was here, in his house. Dressed only in sweat shorts and a hoody, he sighed as the cool night air hit his face.

‘Feel better?’ Louis asked, turning round to face him. Harry nodded slowly, spying the glint in his eyes that made him powerless. Louis tentatively stepped towards him, reaching out to twirl the string on his hoody around his finger.

‘I want you so badly.’ Louis whispered, his voice thick with need. It was the voice that sent heat pooling between Harry's thighs. ‘But I also want to be respectful and take this as slow as you need.’

‘The feeling is mutual.’ Harry found his voice, but was unable to move his body. Struggling to handle the fears in his mind, Harry stayed rooted to the spot.

‘Let’s go back inside.’ Reaching for the door, Louis brushed his body against Harry’s, who couldn’t help the involuntary sigh that left his lips at the contact. There was a small smirk on Louis’ lips, as though he knew exactly what he was playing at. And Harry was going to let him. He wasn’t ready to go all the way yet, but he needed something, anything to satisfy his craving.

Chapter Text

Eleven

Following Louis back into the house, the nerves that were flowing through Harry's veins were causing his hands to shake a little. Was this what he wanted? After the last three years, could he just snap back into how they were?

Sure, he’d missed the way that Louis made him feel. How his fingers caressed his skin in just the right way. How he pulled Harry's hair with just the amount of force when he was close to the edge that he’d just explode. How he’d hold him with such tender loving care, stroking his cheek in just the right way that he wanted to purr each time.

Harry knew he had to take a step back, let his head and his heart catch up a little before he could even think about anything sexual with Louis. A lot had happened today and he just needed some time to breathe.

Bounding into the living room, Louis threw himself down on the sofa with his usual carefree flamboyance, his arms spread wide across the back as he crossed one ankle over his knee. It warmed Harry a little to see how comfortable Louis was around him, but it unnerved him all the same.

‘I am not ready for sex.’ Harry blurted out, blushing crimson at his outward honesty. Louis’ eyes flew open at the outburst, his shock replaced a second later with a fond smile. ‘Sorry, that was so...’

‘It’s OK love.’ Louis interjected, his expression letting Harry know he understood. ‘I didn’t come here expecting us to jump into bed.’ His expression was genuine and Harry felt his nerves settle down a little. After all, he had been the one to ask Louis back to his house. His sanctuary from the world around them.

Louis held out his arm, inviting Harry to join him. With a smile, Harry padded over to the sofa, sinking down beside him and resting his head on Louis’ chest. ‘Today has been... a lot. We need to reset I think.’ He ran his fingers gently through Harry’s hair, not as a sexual gesture, just to calm and soothe him. They sat there in silence for a while, just listening to the other inhaling and exhaling.

Harry enjoyed the feeling of having arms around him again. Niall was great at hugs, but they just didn’t have the same feel to them as when he was with Louis. Nobody ever came close.

‘Can I stay here tonight?’ Louis broke the silence. No words came from Harry, just a small nod in response. Now Louis was here, he didn’t want to let him go so soon. ‘You can tell me to go if you want, I’ll go back to Princess Park so you can get your head together...’ He mumbled, his tone exposing the fact that he too was nervous about being along with Harry. He was silenced as Harry drew himself up and kissed him gently on the lips.

‘I’d like that.’ Harry smiled, slowly uncurling himself from Louis’ side and getting to his feet, holding out his hand. Without a word, Louis followed him up the stairs and into the master suite.

Louis sank down onto his side of the bed, pulling his t-shirt off and tossing it to the floor. Harry looked over his shoulder, drinking in the taught muscles flexing across Louis’ back and shoulders as he reached down to take off his socks.

He must have started working out again, Harry thought, not realising he was shamelessly staring until Louis got to his feet and turned round. As he did, Harry’s mouth fell open.

Gone was the slight lad who’d walked away from him three years ago. Here was a vision of defined muscles and a few new tattoos. He was practically edible and Harry was almost drooling where he sat on the other side of the bed. As his eyes trailed slowly upwards, towards the tattoo across his chest and to his neck, Harry felt a sudden urge to kiss the skin so badly.

I want you so badly

Louis’ words were echoing through his ears, but he had to be strong. Not that it was going to be easy. It wasn’t until he noticed that Louis was stood with his jeans unbuttoned and his hands on his hips that Harry snapped back into reality.

'Seen something you like Dimples?’ That delicious smirk was on his face that Harry so loved to kiss away. Harry gulped, knowing there was no talking his way out of the shameless oogling he did. His cheeks flushed red as he just stared down at the bed, unable to find his voice. The sassy smirk left Louis’ face as he lowered his half naked body onto the bed.

'If this isn’t OK, I can go. I don’t mind. I wouldn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.’ Louis whispered, reaching out and putting his hand over Harry's. His skin tingled at the touch, goosebumps erupting all over his skin.

‘No, it’s not that...it’s... fuck you’re hot.’ Harry sighed, running his free hand through his hair. ‘I want to take this slow, want to reconnect. But then you show up, looking like... that...’ he waved his finger in a circle in front of Louis’ chest, causing him to chuckle bashfully.

'How the fuck am I supposed to keep my hands to myself with you in my bed?’ Harry’s voice had trailed off to a whisper, as the chemistry sparked between them.

He knew his cheeks were flush with lust, his pupils blown and his breathing shallow. But he couldn’t help it. Louis was the only person in the world who had this effect on Harry, and he was virtually powerless to fight it.

‘You know I’m not going to pressure you baby.’ Louis’ voice was gentle, loving and totally tugging on Harry’s heart strings. ‘I am so beyond grateful that we’re here, right now. I wasn’t sure I’d see a day when you’d let me back into your house. If it takes years, I’ll just give you cuddles. Or not, if that’s what you want.’ He smiled gently, his words making Harry's heart swell in his chest. This understanding and cautious version of Louis was a flashback to the Louis who had been all of his firsts when they were younger.

Harry blinked, his mind swirling with conflicting thoughts. He was scared of letting Louis in, getting his heart broken again. There’s no way he’d survive another heartbreak. He barely made it through the last one. But Louis was different. He was already showing Harry how he’d grown, how he was done hiding and wanted to let the world know his heart belonged to Harry.

Deciding to lead with his heart, he leant forward and pressed a gentle kiss on Louis’ lips. He sighed at the contact, feeling Louis’ hand wind it’s way to the back of his neck, his lips parting as a soft tongue slid between them. Twisting his body to face Louis, they both climbed onto their knees in the middle of the bed, Harry’s arms sliding around Louis’ bare waist, fingers dancing over the toned skin.

He could feel the blood starting to head south, as they both fell back onto the huge pillows, Louis’ body flush against his now. Breaking the kiss, Harry saw the sparkle that was shining from Louis’ eyes. His lips were swollen from their kisses and he’d never looked more beautiful. And he was here, in Harry's bed. Wanting him back.

Without realising, his eyes had filled with tears and his vision blurred. Louis reached up and wiped away a tear as Harry’s eyes slid closed. He wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or not, but everything had overwhelmed him.

‘Let’s sleep baby.’ Louis whispered, kissing Harry gently on the nose before reaching down and pulling Harry's hoody up and off. Louis slid his jeans off, climbing back into bed and holding out his arm to Harry. Curling up on his side, Harry shuffled back into Louis’ chest was flush against him.

'Goodnight Dimples.’ Louis whispered as Harry switched off the beside lamp and engulfed them in darkness. Harry felt Louis kiss his cheek gently, before settling down behind him and winding an arm around his waist. Reaching down, Harry interlocked their fingers before closing his eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

*

With his arm holding Harry close, Louis laid in the darkness thanking all his lucky stars that he was here. The last three years had been torture without Harry by his side, but he knew he had to prove himself worthy of Harry's love.

From the moment he uploaded the Instagram video, after fighting hard to get the logins back from his team, he was terrified that Harry would reject him. He’d be well within his rights to, after what Louis did. But deep down, he meant every word that was printed in the magazine that was due to be released in a couple of days.

Harry was his soul mate and this time he wasn’t going to fuck it up. He was going to move heaven and earth to show Harry just how much he means to him. With another surprise forming in his mind, he let his eyes slid closed as he enjoyed the familiar scent of his love back in his arms.

Chapter Text

Twelve

The following morning, as Harry slowly opened his eyes, he felt his mind spin with the weight of the previous day. In such a short space of time, his life had completely flipped on it’s head and his heart was fighting to catch up.

Louis had come back. Back in his life and back in his bed. Except, at that exact moment in time, he wasn’t. Rolling onto his back, Harry frowned as he realised that the other side of the bed was empty. Reaching out for the covers, he noted that the sheets were cool. Wherever he was, he had been gone a little while.

Adjusting his eyes to being fully awake, Harry realised that his house was completely silent, a thought which unnerved him. He’d put himself in a very vulnerable position and he was still nervous that this was all just a dream.

Climbing out of bed, he threw on the hoody that Louis had removed last night and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Sadly there was no Louis, but glancing around the room, he saw evidence that Louis was very much still there.

His phone and cigarettes sat atop Harry’s kitchen side, alongside what looked like a bunch of random crap that Louis had accumulated from his pockets. His jacket still sat where he’d thrown it down last night but his trainers were missing. So were Harry’s house keys. Frowning, Harry wondered where his sleeping partner had disappeared to.

Moments later, he heard keys in the front door, followed by 'shit, fuck, bollocks’ in a familiar Doncaster drawl. The weight that had been on his chest started to lift. Harry folded his arms across his chest and smiled as the older lad appeared in the kitchen, dressed in last night’s clothes with his hands full of food. Harry caught a wiff of coffee and his stomach rumbled when he noticed the packaging was from the amazing bakery down the road. Noticing Harry stood there, Louis smiled briefly, before disappointment clouded his features.

‘I was hoping to be back before you got up. Wanted to treat you to breakfast in bed.’ Louis blushed, putting the food bag and the drinks down on the kitchen side, closely followed by Harry's house keys. Ah, that’s where they went, Harry mused. ‘Bloody barista took forever to find the right muffins.’ Louis shook his head, as Harry bit back a chuckle. He always got agitated about the small things, but his quirks made Harry fond.

‘You didn’t have to do that.’ Harry smiled, his heart fluttered at the gesture. It had been so long since they’d done things like this for each other, and he’d missed that domesticity.

‘Yes I did.’ Louis reached into the cupboard and fished out two plates. ‘So go on, fuck off back to bed and pretend you didn’t see me.’ He winked at Harry, who giggled as he sauntered back to bed, blushing from the cat calls that followed him from the kitchen. Settling back under the duvet, with his back rested against the headboard, Harry eagerly awaited Louis’ arrival.

Brandishing a tray with muffins, croissants and of course, coffee, Louis carefully balanced the tray on the beside table before handing Harry a plate of pastries and a black coffee.

‘Bought you breakfast in bed!’ He grinned widely, before sliding in beside Harry, fully dressed. There was such a proud look on Louis’ face, Harry couldn’t do anything except beam as he put his coffee down on the table beside him and reached for the muffin. Taking a bite, it was as delicious as he’d thought. It was then he realised that Louis was watching him intently.

‘What?’ Harry mumbled through a mouthful of muffin, causing Louis to chuckle. He raised an eyebrow in return, causing Harry to blush. Swallowing his mouthful, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Louis’ cheek. ‘Thank you, it was very thoughtful of you to get me breakfast.’

‘Wouldn’t hurt you to say it.’ Louis rolled his eyes mockingly, before leaning against the headboard and taking a sip of tea. His eyes slid closed as he hummed appreciatively. ‘Love me a tea.’

‘I love Bluebird Bakery.’ Harry grinned, an oof falling from his lips as Louis gently tapped him on the chest. ‘Domestic abuse!’ He called out to thin air, receiving another eye roll.

‘Still haven’t put a TV in your room yet Dimples?’ Louis shoved a piece of croissant into his mouth, spraying crumbs everywhere. Normally Harry would be doing his nut, exclaiming that he’d be finding those flakes of pastry forever more. But this morning he didn’t mind. He’d happily find those crumbs as it reminded Harry that Louis was here.

‘Bedrooms are for sleeping and sex.’ He replied, his tone very matter of fact as he finished his muffin and grabbed his coffee. He didn’t miss the wide-eyed look that Louis gave him in response. He just smiled at his bed partner, enjoying the first taste of hot coffee.

‘So you’re back at Wembley tonight?’ Louis asked, turning to face Harry.

‘Yes, second show tonight.’ Harry practically bounced, unable to contain his excitement. These London shows were always so important to him and the band, it was a true measure of how far they’d come; what they’d achieved. Last night was incredible, a night that would be hard to beat.

‘That’s so cool, double sold out shows at Wembley!’ He tilted his cup forward to cheers Harry, who laughed and gently tapped his paper coffee cup against Louis’.

‘Are you coming?’ Harry asked without thinking. Louis smiled fondly, reaching over and ruffling Harry’s hair.

‘I think I caused enough of a distraction last night.’ He chuckled, draining the last of his tea before returning the cup to the tray. ‘Have you looked at your phone this morning? Socials are going nuts.’

‘No, why? Since when do you know what is going on within the world of social media before I do?’ Louis was notoriously bad with his phone, so it surprised Harry that he was the last of the two to know something.

Frowning, Harry climbed out of bed and tracked his phone down on top of his chest of drawers. Sitting back down in the softness of his duvet, he unlocked the phone and found the app he was looking for.

He had actively turned off his Instagram notifications a long time ago, somewhere around the 100,000 followers mark, after he got fed up of the constant pings. He couldn’t imagine having the notifications on 40 million followers later. Before opening the app, he saw a few links from online news stories that Niall had sent to his WhatsApp.

Niall: Thought you might like to see these. Let me know if you need to talk x

Louis Tomlinson spotted driving Harry Styles to Wembley

Louis Tomlinson seen in VIP box at Harry Styles’ Wembley gig

Harry Styles sings love song to Louis Tomlinson during Love on Tour set

Louis Tomlinson hangs out with ex bandmate Niall Horan at Styles’ Wembley gig

Did Louis Tomlinson spend the night with Harry Styles? Singer spotted near the star’s Hampstead Heath home

Those were just the five articles that had popped up via Niall’s messages. Harry speculated there were many more lurking online. Curiosity pulling at him, Harry spent the next twenty minutes in an Instagram rabbit hole, seeing stories of him singing the night before, Louis and Niall in the audience and even Louis stood to the side of the stage. He was so engrossed in his phone that he hadn’t noticed Louis had found live TV on his phone and was watching the Sunday morning footy catch up.

‘I don’t think you need your article anymore.’ Harry quipped with a teasing tone to his voice, causing Louis to snap his attention from his phone to look at Harry. Tilting his head to the side, his lip curled up in a small smile before he chuckled.

‘All that time and money on a flashy article, and paps and social media basically out us without much effort at all. How the fuck they found me this morning, I have no idea.’ He shook his head, briefly scanning over the articles Niall had sent over. ‘Also, I look like shit.’ He scrunched up his nose as he stared at a photo of himself leaving the bakery, arms full and a determined expression on his face. But there was no denying his slightly crumpled clothes and his hair looking more than it’s stylish dishevelled self.

Passing back the phone back to Harry, Louis pushed back the duvet and got to his feet. ‘Maybe I should have a shower.’ He pulled up his t-shirt from the bottom hem and sniffed it. Reaching back, he pulled the t-shirt over his head in one swift movement. Hello abs.

Harry gulped as Louis disappeared into the bathroom, sliding his jeans down his legs and kicking them across the room as he went. Stepping over the threshold of the en-suite, he looked over his shoulder and winked at Harry. It was the look. The look that had always said - come wash my back and I’ll get down on my knees for you.

More than ever, Harry wanted Louis on his knees for him. Shakily getting to his feet, Harry pulled his hoody over his head before following the older lad and closing the door behind him.

Chapter Text

Thirteen

Leaning against the bathroom sink, Harry's eyes followed Louis as he turned on the shower and moved around the room with ease, gathering everything he needed, as though he had never been away. The thought both warmed Harry's heart and startled him in equal measure.

‘Water's ready.’ Louis smirked, slowly peeling his boxers down and off his body, knowing Harry was watching him the whole time. Stepping under the spray, water bounced off Louis’ defined muscles as though he was in some sort of beauty advert.

Ridding himself of the rest of his clothes, Harry stepped into the shower, his stomach muscles tensing as the water hit his body. He had almost forgotten that Louis loved a red hot shower first thing in the morning. Reaching out a hand for him, Louis pulled Harry into his body.

As his eyes slid closed, Harry felt Louis gently kiss down his jaw, gently nibbling on the sensitive skin. A low sigh tumbled from his lips as he felt all the blood in his body rush south. With a shaking hand, he ran his fingers up Louis’ arms, marvelling at the toned biceps under the pads of his finger tips.

‘Kiss me.’ Harry whispered, almost stumbling back with Louis’ weight as he crashed his lips onto Harry's. His arms locked around the toned waist, Louis’ fisting in the back of his hair as they reacquainted themselves. Harry gasped as his back hit the cool tiled wall, a low moan tumbling from his lips as Louis pushed his lower body into his. It was amazing to know he still had the same affect on him as he ever did.

‘Wash me first?’ Louis whispered into Harry's ear, causing him to shiver in response. With a little nod, he reached for the shower gel, creating a lather in his hands. His hands landed on Louis’ chest, drawing small circles with his palms as he felt Louis’ breathing change at the contact. It felt so intimate, the energy between them fully charged.

His fingers traced patterns down to Louis’ stomach, making sure to wash every inch of exposed skin. Stepping behind him, Harry leant down and placed a kiss on Louis shoulder, his body vibrating with a hum at the contact. Gently massaging his shoulders, Harry washed down Louis’ back, stopping just shy of the top of his bum. Kneeling behind Louis, he ran his hands up and down his thighs, cleaning every inch of exposed skin. Slowly getting to his feet, he let his fingertips brush up against Louis’ back. The muscles tensed under Harry's touch, making him smile. Moving until they were face to face again, he held Louis by the forearms, his tongue snaking out to lick across his lower lip.

‘Rinse.’ Harry whispered into Louis’ ear, gently coaxing him backwards to stand under the cascading water. Louis’ arousal was more than evident now; Harry knew from the flushed look on his cheeks and the way he was struggling to keep his breathing even whenever Harry was touching him, that he was just as turned on as Harry was.

As the soap suds washed away, Louis reached for Harry's shampoo and lathered up his hair. Even rinsing off shampoo he looked like a model. With hooded eyes, Louis grabbed the shower gel and created a new lather. Placing a gentle kiss on Harry's collarbone, he ran his hands down his torso, over the butterfly and the vines that he’d missed so much. Louis washed Harry's body with so much care, he felt like a precious toy. He bit back the wide smile that was starting to creep on his lips.

Harry's body was craving touch so badly, he thought he was going to pass out. He didn’t want to beg, but he was pretty damn close to doing so. With gentle hands on his arms, Louis guided him back into the water, sliding his hands down Harry’s body in the direction of the suds.

Lowering himself to his knees in front of Harry, Louis’ eyes lit up at the sight of how hard Harry was for him. Harry let out a shaky breath as Louis curled his fingers around the base of Harry’s cock, giving a gentle squeeze. A loud groan tumbled from his lips at the contact, the touch that he’d craved for so long. ‘So beautiful. And all mine.’ Louis muttered, before taking the head of Harry’s cock in his mouth. Harry's knees almost buckled from the sensation, but he grabbed onto the wall to steady himself.

‘Fuck, Louis...’ he groaned, his head falling back into the water and soaking his hair as Louis took him further in his mouth, those oh so familiar skills bringing Harry quickly to the edge. He was lost in the pleasure he was feeling, unable to see anything beyond the guy currently making him feel things he didn’t think he’d feel ever again.

Reaching down, his hands wound themselves in Louis' hair as a hand reached up and gently squeezed his balls.

‘Shit...fuck... Not gonna last.’ Harry whispered, a whine tumbling from his lips as Louis released him from his mouth and got to his feet. Capturing his lips in a steamy kiss, Harry could taste that bitter hit of pre-cum on Louis tongue. Lower himself again, Louis took Harry as deep as he could, a loud moan falling from Harry’s lips as Louis hollowed his cheeks and dug his fingers into Harry’s hips, holding him upright.

He was struggling to breathe, every cell in his body focused on the pleasure he was receiving. His body felt on fire in the most delicious way, every sensation heightened as he battled to keep his eyes open, seeing Louis on his knees before him was so hot. Harry’s feet felt unsteady beneath him, his body starting to shake with the imminent release. He felt like he was about to soar into space.

‘Fuck.. Louis...I’m gonna...’ half words tumbled from his lips as his orgasm hit him like a bus, causing him to double over. He had never been more grateful for Louis’ grip on his waist otherwise he would’ve gone cascading to the floor. Slowly his breathing slightly, he looked down to see Louis release him from his lips and smile up at him lovingly.

There was always that self satisfied look hidden behind the adoration, as Louis was always so proud that he’d managed to make Harry come undone so beautifully. This time he was proud that he hadn’t forgotten how to do so.

‘Wow... that was... wow...’ Harry breathed, thinking this was the best shower orgasm he’d ever had. Maybe it was the time they’d spent apart, maybe it was the fact he hadn’t even self indulged for weeks now. Above all else, he knew it was all because it was Louis. His Louis.

‘What about you?’ Harry asked, placing gentle kisses on Louis’ neck as he finally turned the water off behind him. With a sheepish grin, Harry glanced down to see Louis wasn’t as hard as he was before.

‘Came untouched, didn’t I.’ A small embarrassed chuckle tumbled from his lips as he reached up and scratched the back of his neck. ‘Couldn’t help it. That was so fucking hot'

‘I’ll repay the favour soon.’ Harry whispered in his ear, stepping out of the shower and fetching two towels. Wrapping one around his own waist, he ran his hands through his wet hair as Louis dried himself beside him. Opening the cabinet under the sink, he passed Louis a fresh toothbrush with a small smile.

‘Ever the boy scout. Thanks Dimples.’ They brushed their teeth side by side, which filled Harry with a contented feeling of domesticity.

*

‘Do you want a lift to the stadium in a bit?’ Louis called through the patio doors, deciding to shout from where he was sat outside with a tea and a smoke instead of getting up to go inside. Appearing in the doorway, Harry smiled at the sight before him. Louis had stolen a pair of skinny jeans and a clean t-shirt of Harry’s. They’d often shared clothes before, but this felt new somehow. It warmed Harry’s heart even more than it did previously.

‘You don’t have your car.’ Harry reminded him, chuckling to himself as he took a sip of coffee. Rolling his eyes, Louis stubbed out the last of his cigarette before walking to the doorway and bopping Harry on the nose.

‘You have three cars in your garage.’ Louis raised an eyebrow, shrugging at the obvious statement. ‘Or if you’re too chicken shit to let me drive your car, I can get Sam to drop me home and I’ll get one of mine.’

‘You can drive the Tesla if you want.’ Harry smiled, not really wanting Louis to be too far away from him right now. Plus, out of the two of them, Louis was the more experienced driver. The one who happy to drive anywhere, all over the world. ‘The article release is tonight isn’t it?’ He added softly, gently biting on his lower lip.

‘Seems almost irrelevant now.’ A wry chuckle left Louis’ lips as he slowly shook his head. Although the article meant so much, there was a part of Harry that now wondered if it would be an anticlimactic release into the world. ‘But yeah.’

‘Shall we stay up tonight and see what happens? Maybe get some bubbles to celebrate?’ A huge grin spread across Louis’ face at the suggestion and Harry felt proud at conjuring up the idea.

‘I love that idea.’ He wrapped his arms around Harry and hugged him tightly. Never in a million years did he imagine a scenario where Louis would release an article to the world professing his love. He especially didn’t expect to be by his side when the article dropped. ‘But you still didn’t actually answer my question.’

‘Yes, you can drop me at Wembley.’ Moving out of Louis’ embrace, until they were a hands width apart, he placed a gentle kiss on Louis’ lips. ‘As long as you hang around.’ Louis' eyes flew open at Harry's words, causing the younger guy to chuckle.

‘Are you sure?’ Louis smiled, his blue eyes twinkling at the thought of Harry wanting him by his side for a second night. Harry nodded in response, mirroring Louis’ big smile.

‘I wouldn’t want you anywhere else.’

Chapter Text

Fifteen

‘How the fuck do you start this fucking thing?’ Louis frowned, his eyebrows almost knotting together as his hand swept across the cockpit of the car for the start button. ‘Fucking space craft piece of shite.’ He muttered under his breath, shaking his head as Harry simply laughed at him from the passenger seat. It was amusing seeing Louis out of his comfort zone, having driven Range Rovers for so many years.

‘You are so funny.’ Harry chuckled, as Louis shot him a glare in response. Louis really was amusing when he was frustrated like this. ‘Put your foot on the brake, Moaning Myrtle.’ Seeing Louis put his right foot on the peddle, Harry reached over and pressed the small silver button, causing the car to burst into life.

‘And it's an automatic. What kind of lazy ass shit is this?’ Louis frowned, flicking his hand towards the gear stick, ‘I thought only Niall drove autos.’

‘Right, get out.’ Harry sighed, pressing the stop start button again to cut the engine. Louis looked across, surprise written all over his face. ‘I’d rather drive myself if you’re gonna piss and moan about it.’ Rolling his eyes, he unclasped his seatbelt and reached for the door handle before a hand on his thigh stopped him.

‘I’m sorry.’ Louis smiled gently, the expression on his face was seriously endearing. ‘I didn’t mean to go overboard. I’ll behave now.’ Flicking through the radio channels, he picked Capital UK before restarting the car.

Without a peep, he reversed the car and headed off back down the drive. Harry settled into the passenger seat, smiling to himself as Louis rested his left arm on the centre console.

Allowing his muscle memory to take over, Harry reached out his right hand and interlinked their fingers together. A smile broke out on Louis’ face as he kept his attention on the road. He pulled Harry’s hand to his face and gently kissed his knuckles before returning their hands to their previous position.

*

‘How about now?’ Harry asked, after refreshing the page for the hundredth time that hour. Louis shook his head, nervously chewing on his lower lip as he stared at the laptop. He was sat cross legged at his dining table, after they’d decided to go back to Princess Park after Harry’s Wembley show. Dressed casually in a hoody and shorts, he tapped angrily at the laptop.

‘Calm down love.’ Harry soothed him, placing a hand over his to stop him damaging the laptop. Their phones were lying out on the table, both personal and professional handsets sitting side by side, currently dark but they both knew they were about to be fielding calls on all of them as soon as the article landed.

‘Fuck!’ Louis exclaimed, sitting bolt upright and taking a deep breath. ‘It’s up!’ Harry stood behind him and placed both hands on Louis’ shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze before wrapping his arms around him from behind. He kissed him underneath his earlobe, met with a sigh as he relaxed a little.

‘I’m so so proud of you.’ Harry whispered, casting his eye over the website, as he’d already read the article several times. As predicted, their phones lit up within five minutes of the article release.

‘Who was your first?’ Louis asked, turning his phones to face him on the table. They’d told their families prior to the release, not wanting them to be blindsided by any of the events currently unfolded.

‘Niall and James Corden.’ Harry laughed, shaking his head. He was so grateful to have his friend’s support through all of this. ‘You?’

‘Zayn. Glad to see you living your true life mate. Love you. Fuck.’ Louis scoffed, leaving his work phone on the table as he picked up his iPhone and scanned it curiously. Harry's eyes shot wide at that. They’d had limited interactions with Zayn over the years, but he always seemed to be there when it mattered most.

‘We’re trending!’ Louis chuckled, showing Harry the Instagram notifications, which were already racking up in their thousands. ‘I think we’re gonna break the Internet.’ People were already retweeting, sharing and posting comments of support.

‘It’s all positive baby.’ Harry smiled, flicking through the tweets under the hashtag #larryisreal. That awful nickname had plagued them both for years but this time Harry wanted the moniker. Louis snapped his eyes up to meet Harry’s at the endearment. His blue eyes were shining with tears of happiness and Harry’s heart swelled. Placing his hands on Louis’ cheeks, he leant down and kissed him with as much love as he could muster.

‘You did it.’ Harry whispered against Louis’ lips, who smiled brightly.

‘It’s all for you baby. To show the world how much I love you.’ Pulling back slightly, Harry brushed Louis’ hair out of his face and mirrored the wide smile that greeted him.

‘I love you too.’ Tears were starting to gather in Harry’s eyes now, the weight of his emotions starting to overwhelm him. He bundled Louis up in a hug, his arms wrapped tightly around him as they both sniffed away happy tears.

‘Can we get the bubbles out now?’ Louis sniffed, with a slight laugh. ‘I need a fucking drink after all that.’ ‘Sure.’ Harry smiled, turning on his heel and walking into the kitchen. Leaning his hands on the kitchen worktop, he let the tears flow as relief hit him. He had been so nervous of the article release, announcing their relationship to the world, but now he saw there was no reason to be nervous. Hurriedly wiping away the tears, Harry pulled the bottle of Moet from the fridge and grabbed two flutes.

As he approached the door to the dining room, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of sobbing. His heart twisted in his chest as the sound, causing him to hurry into the room. Louis had his head hunched over the table, rested on his arms as he sobbed heavily.

‘Baby, what’s the matter?’ Harry crouched beside him, putting the bottle and glasses on the table before pulling Louis into his arms. He grabbed onto Harry, holding onto fistfuls of his jumper as he continued to cry. He settled onto the floor, taking Louis with him and tucking him into his chest. He shushed the elder lad, stroking his hair in that soothing way he used to whenever Louis was stressed or upset.

They sat like that for a while, with Harry gently rocking them both backwards and forwards occasionally. As the tears subsided, Louis pulled back from Harry but kept his gaze on the floor.

‘I’m so sorry.’ Louis sniffed, fiddling with the cuff of his hoody sleeve.

‘What happened? Was I gone that long?’ Harry teased gently, trying to break the tension that had surrounded them.

‘I’m just feeling so... overwhelmed.’ Louis’ voice was low and soft as he shook his head. ‘I mean, I knew there would be a reaction, but this... I mean... it’s just wow.’

‘The support was always there Lou, you just needed the right encouragement to step into the light.’ Harry smiled softly, taking one of Louis’ hands in his and gently stroking the back of it. He snuggled closer into Harry, just basking in the warmth of the two of them.

‘Do you want bubbles now?’ Harry asked, not wanting to push Louis too far. He was in a fragile state but Harry knew he’d do anything to keep him safe and calm. Thankfully he had a week’s break before going on to the next leg of his tour. Louis nodded, getting to his feet and grabbing the bottle. Popping the cork, he drank straight from the bottle, making Harry laugh as he scrambled to his feet.

Wrapping one arm around Louis’ waist, he took the champagne from him and took a big gulp. Tonight had been a lot, but they couldn't have asked for a better reception to the article. As Harry's personal phone beeped again, he picked it up and read the notification, taking another big swig from the bottle.

‘James wants to interview us.’ Harry chuckled, passing the bottle back to Louis. ‘He says glad you two finally sorted your shit out. Would love to interview you on the show on your terms. Let me know. Maybe that’s not a bad shout?’ Harry was thinking with his professional hat on temporarily. James was their friend, having total control of the interview wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

‘Go on then sun.’ Louis nodded, taking another big swig of bubbles. Putting the bottle down on the table, he finally shut the lid of his laptop and turned so he was toe to toe with Harry. His blue eyes were sparkling with lust, pupils blown as his gaze washed over Harry’s face. His lips fell open under Louis’ hooded gaze. Every inch of his skin felt on fire, just from a gaze.

Reaching up, he brushed Harry’s hair away from his face before stretching up on his tip toes to whisper seven words that made all the blood in Harry's body rush south.

‘I want to make love to you.’

Chapter Text

Fifteen

Sliding his hand round the back of his neck, Harry pulled Louis into him, capturing his lips in a messy kiss. A moan tumbled from Harry’s lips as the Louis’ arms slid round his shoulders. Grasping the back of Louis’ thighs, Harry picked him up, his legs wrapping round his waist on instinct.

Guiding them to his bedroom, Harry stumbled on the landing, crashing into the chest of drawers opposite the stairs, sending a vase smashing to the floor. Breaking the kiss momentarily, they both looked down to the mess on the floor. Louis snapped his gaze up to meet Harry’s.

‘Oops.’ Louis sniggered, biting down on his lower lip. ‘Hi.’ Harry laughed with a bright smile, carefully stepping over the broken display before continuing to his bedroom. He tossed Louis onto the bed, who leaned back on his elbows to gaze at Harry standing at the foot of it.

Blood was pounding in his ears as the enormity of what was happening hit him. Swallowing down the nerves, he told himself that this was his Louis. The same Louis that he'd spent many years learning every inch of his skin, there was absolutely no reason to be shy.

‘You ok baby?’ Louis cooed, concerned furrowing his eyebrows as he slid to the end of the bed and knelt in front of Harry. He ran his arms up and down Harry’s biceps assuringly, giving them a gentle squeeze. The gesture made Harry's nerves melt away.

‘Never better.’ Harry whispered in reply, leaning forward and placing kisses under Louis’ earlobe. A groan fell from his lips as he reached for Harry’s hoody and pulled it over his head. With a smirk, Louis kissed and gently nibbled his way across Harry's collarbone, from shoulder to shoulder. The feeling of having Louis’ lips all over his skin made goosebumps erupt all over his body.

‘You’re so beautiful.’ Louis mumbled, the familiar words making Harry’s heart skip a beat. Grasping the bottom of Louis’ hoody, he tugged three times; his signature move when he wanted to enjoy the vision of Louis stripping himself. Placing a gentle kiss on Harry’s lips, Louis moved back and removed his hoody. Harry practically drooled over the abs that were now becoming oh so familiar.

‘I can’t believe you’re mine.’ Harry whispered, fingertips dancing down Louis’ stomach. The smile that broke out on Louis’ face at that remark, stretched from ear to ear. Grabbing Harry by the shoulders, Louis pulled him down on to the bed and straddled him.

‘Always yours baby.’ Louis whispered, feathering kisses down Harry’s neck, his breath catching in his throat. ‘Always.’

Reaching the top of Harry’s sweats, he pulled them slowly down his legs, groaning appreciatively at the fact that Harry was both commando and hard as rock for him. Louis kissed the tip of Harry’s cock, grinning with satisfaction as his cock twitched with pleasure.

‘Tease....’ Harry hissed, his eyes sliding shut in pleasure as Louis took him fully in his mouth without warning. It was a skill that Louis had perfected over the years, knowing exactly how to relax his throat so he could take Harry whole. ‘Fuck...’ Louis released him from his mouth with a pop.

‘Sorry love, what was that?’ that smirk was back, the smirk that Harry desperately needed to kiss away. Kicking his sweats all the way off, he flipped Louis onto his stomach, swiftly pulling down his shorts. Louis groaned loudly into the pillow at the friction.

Seeing Louis’ naked body in front of him made Harry even harder, if that was even possible. He gently kneaded Louis’ cheeks, slowly exposing his pink hole. Harry gently licked at the puckered skin, the muscles in Louis’ legs tensing at the contact. Lapping softly at the exposed skin, Harry basked in the feeling of being this intimate again. He hadn’t touched or been touched by anyone other than himself ever since the break up.

‘Harry... please...I can’t...’ Louis stammered into the pillow, his body writhing under Harry’s expert touch. ‘Don’t want to come yet.’ The words stopped Harry in his tracks, as he grabbed onto Louis’ hips and turned him so they were face to face.

Covering Louis’ body with his own, he kissed his love with as much passion as he could muster. Slowly grounding his lower body into Louis’, their moans caused them both to break the kiss.

‘Need you now.’ Harry mumbled into Louis’ shoulder, circling his hips in a feeble attempt to relieve some of the pressure.

‘Have you got...’ Louis whispered, gesturing towards the beside table. With a nod, Louis twisted his body under Harry’s, reaching into the top drawer to get the lube and a condom.

‘Need to... need to st-’ Harry mumbled, almost embarrassed at his words. He wasn’t sure why, they’d said some filthy things to each other in the past. But this felt more intimate than ever before. Asking to be stretched felt like an indecent proposition almost.

‘I got you baby.’ Louis smiled, that gentle smile that lit up his eyes and sent Harry’s heart into a tailspin. Pushing Harry onto his back, Louis reached for the lube, generously coating two fingers before gently stroking Harry’s thighs in the way that always relaxed him. With a sigh, Harry let his knees fall open, exposing him fully.

Harry felt Louis slide one finger inside him, stilling as he waited for him to adjust. Adding a second, Harry hissed as Louis eased his fingers in and out of him.

‘Feels so good.’ Harry hummed, as Louis reached down and sucked the skin on the inside of his thighs. His back arched off the bed as Louis’ expert fingers hit that spot in record time. ‘Fuck.’ He hissed, his eyes sliding closed.

‘You’re so tight.’ Louis whispered, adding a third finger and gently caressing that spot that made Harry see stars.

‘I haven’t... not since you...’ he blushed slightly, as Louis’ fingers stopped their ministrations. A huge smile broke out on his face at Harry’s admission.

‘Me neither baby. Only you. Only ever you.’ Harry’s heart swelled at the words. Knowing they’d only ever had sex with each other made him feel so loved.

‘I need you. I’m ready.’ Harry whispered, as Louis flashed him that smirk and tore open the condom packet, rolling it down his own hard cock before lining the entrance with Harry’s now stretched hole.

‘I love you.’ Louis whispered, edging inside slowly, as not to cause pain. Harry’s eyes flicked up to meet his, eyes sparkling with lust and cheeks flush.

‘I love you too.’ Harry whispered, cupping Louis’ cheek and stroking across his cheekbone. ‘But if you don’t move, I might love you a little less.’

‘Wow Styles, unlike you to give me sass right now...’ Louis shook his head in almost disbelief.

‘Yeah well I haven’t got laid in three years, I’m pretty desperate.’ He shot back, narrowing his eyes playfully at Louis, who responded by bottoming out in one go, causing Harry to arch his back off the bed with a loud moan of Louis’ name.

‘Sorry, say what?’ Louis asked, raising an eyebrow as Harry’s head fell back on the pillow. ‘Thought as much.’ He chuckled, his fingers grasping Harry’s hips as he made love to him.

‘I’ve missed you.’ Harry whispered, the pool of emotions swirling around his eyes causing Louis’ eyes to well up.

‘I’ve missed you too.’ He mumbled, trying his best to keep his emotions in check. Almost pulling out, Louis slammed back into Harry at the perfect angle to hit his sweet spot.

‘Fuck me.’ Harry cried, his hands fisting onto the sheets beside him. Wide green eyes met blue as Louis leant down and kissed Harry sweetly.

‘As you wish.’ Pushing Harry’s knees up to his chest, Louis thrust into him, pouring all the love he could muster into his movements.

‘Not gonna last.’ Harry mumbled, grasping at both of Louis’ hands and interlinked their fingers. His breathing had become hitched, letting Louis know he was close.

‘Cum for me baby.’ Louis whispered, the words proving to be his undoing as he shot his load between them both, shouting Louis’ name. Harry tightening around Louis’ cock was enough to tip him over the edge, spiralling into his own orgasm, shooting his load deep inside Harry as he mumbled his love’s name over and over.

As they both regained their breathing, Louis gently pulled out of Harry, placing a gentle kiss on his nose before disappearing into the en-suite. Laying back against the pillows, Harry enjoyed the blissful feeling that could only come from being royally fucked.

Still fully naked, he pulled the duvet over him a little to stop the chill. As Louis returned from the bathroom, Harry held out his right arm. Climbing under the covers, Harry pulled Louis into his body and kissed the top of his head.

‘H...’ Louis broke the silence between them.

‘Mm hmm?’ Words still eluded Harry in his post coital state.

‘Will you be my boyfriend again?’ Louis voice was timid, unsure, but Harry had never been more sure of anything. Moving backwards, just enough so he could see Louis’ face properly, Harry broke out into the biggest smile. He felt like everything was finally slotting into place, his once broken heart finding its way back together under Louis’ guidance. Of course, there was only answer to that proposal.

‘Yes baby, I’d love to.’ Harry kissed him gently, before curling back into his side.

Chapter Text

Sixteen

‘Everything is fucking great...’ Louis was muttering to himself, pacing up and down the wide dressing room whilst Harry sat patiently on the sofa. Louis was fiddling with his fingers in that agitated way that he always did when he was stressed.

It was understandable, really. This was the first time they were going to talk about their relationship in public. The first time they were going to be seen together, as a couple, as boyfriends again. Although they already knew what James was going to ask them, it did nothing to quash the nerves that were actively flowing through Louis.

‘Lou, stop.’ Harry's firm tone stopped Louis in his tracks and his gaze snapped up to meet Harry's. Blue eyes met green, concern radiating from Harry as he got to his feet. Louis stopped, his expression giving away the fact he was shamelessly racking his eyes over his boyfriend. His hair had been perfectly coifed for the occasion and there was a touch of bronzer highlighting his already beautiful features.

They’d both opted for a semi smart wardrobe for tonight, considering James always wore a suit on stage. Louis was dressed in a simple black jacket with a white tee and dark jeans. Harry had opted for all black with a dark purple blazer. Stepping in front of Louis, Harry gently rested his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, squeezing lightly to try and comfort him.

‘It’s going to be fine.’ Harry smiled as comfortingly as he could manage, Louis slowly nodded in response. Harry stayed quiet until Louis’ breathing came back to normal under Harry’s touch. He kissed Louis gently on the forehead. ‘Hell, you’ve already come out now. The hard bit is done.’

‘Yeah, but H-’

‘Nope, not letting you through a pity party for one.’ Harry interrupted, shaking his head to cut him off. Louis frowned at him, trying his best to be annoyed but failing dramatically. ‘This is our chance Lou, a chance to be the role models they’re all looking for. The ones to encourage those in fear to be brave.’ Louis let out a sigh as he realised Harry was right; this was their chance to do something great.

‘You guys are on in five.' A runner popped their head into the room and broke the conversation. Following the petite blonde with a headset, they found themselves stood by the side of the stage whilst James was rattling off the latest news.

They even chuckled a few times at some of his lines. James never lost that British charm which made him a such a success in the States. Now back in the UK for a spell, he was the perfect fit for this interview.

‘Now.’ James started, a wide smile on his face, turning to address the camera face on. ‘The couple you’ve all be waiting to see.’ The excitement from the audience was catching and both Harry and Louis found themselves breaking out in huge smiles. The whoops and screams from around them made Harry chuckle. Sliding his hand in Louis’, he squeezed his hand gently as they waited for their cue.

‘Last week, Louis Tomlinson made the brave decision to come out to the world through a magazine article. I have to say, I am so proud to call these guys some of my closest friends. But tonight, here to tell their story for the first time, please welcome the amazing and talented Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles!’

Pulling Louis beside him, Harry strode confidently onto the stage, still gripping onto Louis’ hand. The pair gave a small wave to the audience, as James got to his feet and hugged them both. Settling onto the sofa beside his huge desk, the pair separated their hands to get comfortable. In true style, Louis sat back and spread his arms across the back, tucking one foot over the opposite knee.

‘Wow guys!’ James grinned widely, as the screams slowly quietened down. The two men were still beaming from ear to ear at the reception. ‘I mean, I think this is the love story we always wanted to hear, wasn’t it?’ The three of them chuckled warmly. It was then that Louis visibly relaxed, knowing he was in safe hands with James, especially with Harry by his side.

‘So tell me, where did it all begin?’ James started, taking a drink from his mug and leaning back in his chair as though they were sat chilling in his front room back home.

‘I guess it kinda started way back in 2013, but our actual relationship began back in 2015.’ Louis started, looking over at Harry with fond. With a small smile from his boyfriend as encouragement, he continued. ‘We were just about to go on our hiatus. After a very long time of dancing around what we were feeling, or in my case not fully understanding what it was, we finally got drunk and confessed our feelings for each other.’

‘Tequila is the whole reason we’re together.’ Harry chuckled, the audience laughing along with him. The pair smiled out at the crowd, already feeling the support. ‘But we both had our battles before we could finally admit what we felt.’

‘Harry was always so open and free with his feelings and his sexuality.’ Louis smiled, reminding himself of the words he had eloquently used in the article to articulate his inner struggle. ‘It wasn't so easy for me.’ He bit his bottom lip nervously, causing Harry to reach over and squeeze his hand affectionately, coaxing him to continue.

‘I had a long struggle with my feelings, torn between who I was and what my heart wanted. I went through a real angry phase. I couldn’t accept I was gay, and I never understood why.’

‘That’s how you ended up in so many relationships with women? You were acting out? Trying to convince yourself you were straight?’ James gently asked, knowing Louis had given him the question, but the look on his face gave away how uncomfortable he was with probing him in such a way.

The sorrow on Louis’ face was painfully obvious now and it made Harry’s heart twist in discomfort. They had many arguments during that phase of Louis’ life. The constant battles almost cost them their friendship, but the drunken night of confessions turned the whole lot on it’s head.

‘Yeah. It wasn’t my proudest moment.’ Clearing his throat, he sat up straight and looked directly at James. ‘But not everyone knows who they are from the off. I had to go on a destructive journey of self discovery before I could admit to myself who I was. I argued with so many people, I was so angry.’

‘I fought with Harry most of all, somehow thinking pushing everyone away would help.’ Harry watched as Louis hung his head, shaking it slowly as the embarrassment flushed his cheeks a little. This confession was so painful and raw, but they both knew they needed this to move forward. With a little encouraging squeeze to his clasped hands, he continued.

‘Thankfully Harry was waiting for me at the end of that journey.’ Louis finally looked up at Harry, eyes sparkling with love and adoration. ‘He never gave up on me.’

‘So you weren’t hiding your relationship for years whilst you were in the band?’ James asked, throwing the question out there for all One Direction fans who were wondering the same thing.

‘No, unfortunately it took us many years to see what our fans had clearly known for much longer. Sure, we were best buds, but we didn’t know it was much more than that until four years later.’ Louis chuckled, reaching up to affectionately ruffle Harry’s hair. ‘The Larry shippers waited a long time for their happy ending.’ Ever the showman, Louis threw a perfectly timed wink to the audience, enticing more screams.

‘In a way, it came at the perfect time because we could start our relationship away from the public eye.’ Harry added, batting Louis’ hand away from his hair with an eye roll. Louis just beamed back at him, making James chuckle.

‘But you guys never went public?’ James asked, concern written across his face as he spoke, cocking his head to the side. This was the question they’d been dreading but they knew they had to address it.

‘Yeah...’ Harry looked sheepish, but as Louis squeezed his hand assuringly, he found the inner confidence to continue. ‘We were contracted to keep things quiet. We can’t talk too much about that, but we had to stay in the shadows for a while.’

‘That must’ve put a strain on your relationship?’ James offered, guiding the conversation in the way that the two lads had confirmed with him the day previously.

‘We did split for a while.’ Louis continued, throwing a sad expression in Harry’s direction. ‘It was my fault, I made an error in judgement and caused us to be separate for a while. But we supported each other from afar when we were apart.’ A small smile twisted at his lips, but he didn’t miss the flash of guilt in Harry’s eyes. ‘But I wanted to win him back. So I did the article, but not before showing up at one of H’s shows.’

‘Ah yes, the Wembley shows.’ James grinned. ‘which were a roaring success I see!’ Harry blushed a little, modest to a tee.

‘They were awesome.’ Louis gushed, smiling sweetly at Harry, who blushed even further at his words.

‘So what’s next for you guys?’ James offered, now the standard questions were out of the way. Louis frowned, unsure how to answer. Harry gently patted his thigh assuringly. He’d always taken a confident lead in interviews, an easy aura about him which made him a great conversationalist.

‘I’m off to Europe and South America soon.’ Harry smiled, a fond expression on his face as he remembered the time when Louis came to visit in Buenos Aires when he was having a tough time on tour a few years ago.

‘I’m working on my management company.’ Louis grinned, enjoying the encouraging shouts from the audience.

‘I meant with you two.’ James chuckled, causing them both to blush and shift awkwardly. It was rare for Harry to feel so unnerved in an interview. This was also a question that neither of them preapproved.

‘We’re taking things as they come.’ Louis piped up eventually, Harry feeling himself breathe after the awkward silence. ‘Of course, things have gone a billion miles an hour over the last couple of weeks, but we’re just paying mind to each other and enjoying being together again. No pressure, not this time.’ The genuine smile on Louis’ face softened Harry’s heart.

‘Aww well I know we all wish you guys every happiness. Thank you so much for coming on the show, hopefully we’ll get you guys back soon to collab!’ James grinned widely and Harry and Louis chuckled.

As the cameras cut, they both felt the anxiety lift from their shoulders. James stepped out from behind the desk and hugged them both.

‘I love you guys. That was great, you doing ok?’ his gaze flitted between them both as he rested a hand on each of their shoulders, concern furrowing his eyebrows.

‘Yeah, yeah I’m fine.’ Louis nodded, letting out a long breath. ‘just need a stiff drink.’

‘I’m down with that.’ Harry chuckled, putting an arm around Louis' shoulders. With a warm goodbye to James, they strode out of the studio and into the awaiting car outside. Hand in hand, they snuggled close in the back of the car as they sped off into the night.

‘I can’t believe we just did that.’ Louis chuckled, shaking his head. They’d kept their phones turned off for now, just wanting peace and quiet for a little while. ‘We’re free now baby.’ Harry beamed, kissing Louis gently on the lips. ‘Now we can be anything, do anything. The world is our oyster.’ He gestured widely with his free arm, as Louis burst into laughter beside him.

‘OK Mr Freedom, what shall we do first?’ Louis raised a teasing eyebrow at him. Harry pondered for a moment, before turning to Louis with a serious expression.

‘Marry me.'

Chapter Text

Louis blinked at Harry, the expression on his face somewhere between a frog and a fish. If it wasn’t for the emotional intensity of the moment, Harry was sure he would’ve laughed. As the request hung in the air, Harry found himself casting his mind back to when they first got together.

*

2015

‘Wow, I can’t believe that was our last interview!’ Niall chuckled, shaking his head as he downed the rest of the bottle of water he was holding. The four of them were heading down the familiar corridors of the BBC Studios, knowing it wouldn’t be long before they went their separate ways. Aside from one final meeting with management the next day, One Direction were almost ready to pause.

‘Mental, mate, mental.’ Liam shook his head beside him. Harry thrust his hands deep into his pockets, as Louis quietly scowled beside him. During the interview, he’d been his cheerful self, basically back to normal. Almost. After the third argument that morning, Harry had just decided not to say anything to him. It was slowly breaking his heart that his best friend, the guy he had recently realised he was totally and utterly in love with, was pushing him away like this. He tried to glance across at Louis, not wanting to draw attention to himself, but it proved useless.

‘What?’ Louis spat, his eyes narrowed at his bandmate as they found themselves at the awaiting cars to head home. Harry just shook his head, feeling defeated from his constant battles with Louis. He was never quite sure what he’d done wrong, but somewhere along the line, their friendship had changed and Louis had become this version of himself who was unbelievably angry at the world, but Harry had no idea why.

Out of the other three lads, it seemed Louis’ anger was always directed at Harry. The more he thought about it, the more he realised it was. Louis never snapped at Niall or Liam in the same way. He picked fights out of nothing and they never talked anymore. Not in the way they used to.

Climbing into the car, Harry wasn’t at all surprised when Louis decided to jump into the one behind. It seemed to be the done deal these days, Harry travelled with Niall and Liam travelled with Louis. Which, in retrospect, made little sense as Harry lived nearer to Liam but it was out of his hands.

‘I want to punch him. Hard.’ Niall sighed, flashing Harry a sympathetic smile. ‘He’s so fucking rude to you.’ Niall knew all too well what impact this situation was having on Harry and his general wellbeing. Maybe this hiatus couldn’t have come at a better time. At least he knew he didn’t need to be around Louis anymore. Space from the fights and the anger was just what he needed right now. He needed to rebuild and recharge. As far away from Louis Tomlinson as possible.

‘I just give up.’ Harry shrugged, fighting desperately to hold back the tears. He didn’t want people to see just how painful the demise of his friendship with Louis had become. When things were really bad, he found himself in a self loathing cycle, googling Larry Stylinson just to see what could have been. The #larry posts spoke volumes about what he felt but could never say.

‘I’m so sorry H.’ Niall smiled sweetly at Harry, reaching over to gently squeeze his shoulder, which was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Tears flowed freely then, and Harry was powerless to stop them. All the heartbreak was bubbling up, finally.

‘I need to know.’ Harry mumbled, shaking his head. It was then he realised that they were outside his house. A lightbulb went off in Harry’s mind. ‘I need to know what I did wrong.’

‘You haven’t done a thing. Louis is just being a prick.’ Niall frowned at Harry, who unclasped his seatbelt and struggled out of the car. The confused look on Niall’s face almost stopped Harry. Almost.

‘I’ll call you, I promise!’ Harry blew Niall a kiss as he rummaged through his bag, finding his keys. Flying into his house, he grabbed the first bottle of alcohol he could find, an old bottle of Tequila, and ran back out to his car. He knew he’d need liquid courage for this confrontation. Throwing himself into the Mercedes, he powered his way across London to Louis’ house, fuelled on anger and desperation.

Pulling up on Louis’ drive, he hit the buzzer outside the gate repeatedly. It was pointless trying to guess the code, it was changed far too regularly. Harry knew Louis was home and he was refusing to leave until this mess was sorted out once and for all. The gate slowly opened and Harry’s fingers reached for the Tequila bottle.

Parking up alongside Louis' Range Rover, he unscrewed the lid of the bottle, taking a big swig before climbing out of his car, slamming the door behind him as he stomped up to the front door.
Banging on the door as hard as he could with his fist, Harry took another drink of Tequila and grimaced as the liquid went down. It was already helping his nerves.

‘Open the door you miserable fuck!’ Harry shouted, knowing the neighbours were too far away to hear. He just prayed there were not any photographers were nearby. The last thing he needed right now was to be splashed across the tabloids.

Banging on the door again, Harry jumped backwards as it flew open, revealing Louis stood there dressed in joggers and a band t-shirt, a frown on his face.

‘What do you want Styles?’ Louis hissed, glaring at Harry as though he was a bug that needed squashing. He folded his arms across his chest, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

‘We need to talk.’ Harry spat back, marching into Louis’ hallway, clutching on to the bottle in his hand for dear life. The front door closed behind him with a soft click. Taking another swig of alcohol, he turned around and came face to face with Louis’ steel gaze. He gulped, fighting hard to keep his strong resolve.

‘What do you want to talk about?’ Louis frowned at Harry, his back to the front door. Neither of them moved from the hallway.

‘Why do you hate me?’ Harry stared at Louis, pointing the Tequila bottle at him. He saw a flicker of something in Louis’ eyes, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. ‘I’ve done nothing to you, and you treat me like shit.’ Louis’ expression softened slightly, the anger starting to simmer down as Harry’s lips tightened into thin lines.

‘I-I don’t hate you H.’ Louis sighed and Harry almost stumbled backwards in shock. He hadn’t called Harry by his original nickname in months. Louis had reverted back to calling him Styles, just like he had when they were at the start of their careers.

‘Well you could’ve fooled me!’ Harry took off, stalking through Louis’ hallway to the kitchen. The light padding of footsteps let Harry know that Louis was following him.

‘H, please!' Louis’ voice sounded almost sorrowful now, as Harry took another gulp of alcohol. It was starting to make his head a bit fuzzy.

‘Please what Lou? You’ve been so rude to me, shutting me out when all I’ve done is try to be your friend.’ His resolve started to crumble, tears forming behind his eyes. ‘My best friend appears to hate me. And that fucking hurts!’ Harry was shouting now, but he didn’t care. He was so angry. ‘Every argument, every comment you spit at me, it is breaking me apart.’

The tears were glistening in his eyes now and for the first time in a while, the steel look in Louis’ eyes had turned back to the blue that Harry had fallen in love with. Harry could tell that whatever walls Louis had put in place were starting to fall.

‘I don’t understand what I did to you.’ Harry mumbled, the tears slowly creeping down his cheeks. The look on Louis’ face had changed completely, turning from steel to concern. It was like the old Louis had returned.

Stepping forward, Louis reached up and cupped Harry’s cheeks. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and kissed away one of the tears. Harry gasped in shock, his body shaking as Louis kissed away a stray tear on the other cheek. Reaching for the bottle in Harry’s hands, he took a long drink before resting his forehead against Harry’s, his eyes sliding closed as he spoke.

‘I’m angry because I’m in love with you and I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.’ Louis’ voice was a mere whisper, but it sent shocks through Harry’s body. His heart was racing in his chest as Louis slowly opened his eyes to meet Harry’s.

Feeling brave under the influence of alcohol, Harry leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Louis’ lips. Pulling back, there was a look of shock on Louis’ face.

‘Oh Lou...’ Harry sighed, seeing a smile starting to form on Louis’ face. Cradling Harry’s cheek again, Louis captured Harry’s lips with his own. Manoeuvring them both, Louis pushed Harry back against the fridge, his body holding Harry’s in place as he took the kiss deeper.

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist, bringing their bodies tight into each other as a soft moan fell from Louis’ lips. Breathless, the two broke apart as Louis gently touched his lips with his fingertips.

‘Oh my god.’ Louis sighed, his eyes desperately searching Harry’s. Whatever black cloud was floating above his head had vanished, to be replaced with bright eyes and a gentle smile.

‘I’m in love with you too.’ Harry smiled nervously, brushing Louis’ hair away from his eyes. ‘I guess we have a lot of talking to do.’ He muttered, looking down at Louis’ lips and trying his best to resist.

‘Shall we order a pizza or something?’ Louis offered, as Harry chuckled in response. That was always their go-to takeaway whenever they had big things to discuss. According to them, grease and cheese helped the thought process.

‘Sure, let’s do that.’ Harry nodded, placing a gentle kiss on Louis’ lips as he snatched up the bottle of Tequila and followed Louis into the living room. His mind was swimming, but as he stared down at Louis’ jogger-clad backside, he had never been more grateful for Dutch courage.

They spent a great deal of that night talking about their feelings and sharing secrets they’d kept from each other until the sun came up. Eventually they crashed, Louis spooning Harry on Louis’ living room sofa.

*

‘W-what?’ Louis stammered, completely in shock at Harry’s somewhat proposal.

‘Marry me.’ Harry beamed, clutching Louis’ hand tightly. His expression softened moments later, with no response from Louis. He felt like his heart was about to crack in his chest.

‘Baby... I’d love to marry you. But not like this.’ Harry failed to hide the disappointed look on his face. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to, please don’t think that!’ Louis added hurriedly, cradling Harry's cheek in his hand.

‘Just... do you want to tell people we got engaged in the back of a car after a TV show?’ A nervous chuckle tumbled from his lips, and Harry smiled gently.

‘I guess not.’ Harry's cheeks flashed a little pink with embarrassment. Louis’ expression turned serious as he shifted in his seat, so he was facing Harry properly. ‘Baby, I’d marry you tomorrow.’ Louis’ smiled, cupping Harry’s cheek and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. ‘Just give me chance to buy you a ring first.’

Little did Harry know, there was a secret black velvet box hidden in what Harry thought was a tobacco tin at the back of Louis’ bedside table.

Chapter Text

Eighteen

Six Months Later

‘I can’t believe I’m back in Mexico!’ Harry chuckled into the microphone, a bright beaming smile on his face as he stood at the end of the catwalk and looked out at the crowd. He flicked his hair out of his eyes, the back of his hand wiping away the beads of sweat from his brow. ‘Wow, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?’

As he did at every show, Harry stayed quiet for a few moments, just watching the audience around him. He felt so blessed to be this far away from home and feel loved by every person around him. The title of his tour had never been more apt.

Dressed in his favourite red heart overalls, his heart swelled as the audience shouted back at him.

Declarations of love came from all around. Clasping his microphone in his left hand, he momentarily admired his engagement ring as it sparkled under the fading sunlight.

After Harry's rushed proposal in the back of the car after their live interview with James Corden, Louis decided that Harry needed a better story than that. So, with the help of a few friends, he’d decorated every inch of their apartment at Princess Park with a rainbow of roses and waited patiently in their living room for Harry to arrive home.

*

‘Babe! I’m here!’ Harry’s voice rang through the apartment as he closed the door behind him, toed off his red trainers and shrugged his bag on to the floor. He’d had a string of back to back meetings all day and wanted nothing more than to cuddle up on the sofa in Louis’ arms with a takeaway.

‘Lou?’ Silence greeted him, but as Harry stepped towards the living room, he looked down and saw scattered rose petals on the carpet, trailing down into their apartment. His heart skipped a beat as he noticed they were all colours of the rainbow.

Following the trail, Harry walked down the hallway, his eyes catching the candles which were sat on every surface, twinkling away. A smile started to creep across his face as he continued down the hallway, careful not to squash any petals under his socks.

Slowly opening the door to their living room, his heart skipped a beat as he saw Louis stood in the middle of a rainbow petal heart. Harry's hand flew to his mouth as he realised what Louis was wearing; a maroon t-shirt with a white wash denim jacket and tight skinny jeans. The outfit that he wore on their first proper date. He’d even styled his hair back off his face, the way Harry loved it. It was then he noticed the nervous look written all over Louis’ face.

‘Hi.’ Louis whispered, as Harry walked further into the room until he was toe to toe with his boyfriend. He went to reach out for his hands, but Louis kept them clasped in front of him.

‘Lou, what is this...’ Harry’s question was answered as Louis lowered himself onto one knee, brandishing a small black velvet box between his palms. Harry blinked down at Louis rapidly, his heart racing in his chest.

‘We don’t have the most traditional of love stories.’ Louis started, his voice already waiving with emotion. He cleared his throat so he could continue. ‘But it’s ours, and that’s the best part. When people ask us how we got engaged, I didn’t want us to say it was in the back of a random black car on our way home. I want you to have the fairy tale H, because you are my happy ending. You always have been. And I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy. Will you marry me?’ Slowly, Louis opened the velvet box to show a gold diamond band.

Unable to formulate words, Harry nodded a few times as Louis got to his feet.

‘Yes.’ He finally whispered, Louis wiping away his happy tears with his thumb before sliding the ring onto his left hand. Harry kissed him deeply, his hands cupping Louis’ cheeks as two arms wound themselves around his waist.

They made love that night amongst the rose petals. It was the happiest the two of them had ever been in their entire lives, and this was only the beginning. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle had come together.

*

‘You guys really are the best! One of the loudest crowds I’ve ever had.’ Harry grinned, waving at the fans from the middle of the stage. He loved touring so much, but a small part of him was looking forward to flying home with Louis the following day and just enjoying time together. In their own home.

‘So tonight is a special night for me and my incredible band behind me. This is my 50th show of this tour! I genuinely can’t believe it.’ Harry ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled gently. He fought desperately to settle his nerves at what was about to happen.

‘I’m so very grateful to be here with you tonight. Thank you to each and every one of you.’ He bowed to the crowd, blowing heartfelt kisses and enjoying the screams and cheers around him. Nothing was more important to Harry's career than the support of his fans. ‘To show my gratitude, I have a special treat for you all.’

With a bright smile, the spotlight fell on Harry, plunging the rest of the stage into darkness. A gentle piano started to play around him, the recognisable melody of the introduction to If I Could Fly echoing around the arena. Reaching for his mic, Harry took a deep breath and began to sing the words that held such meaning for him.

If I could fly
I'd be comin' right back home to you
I think I might
Give up everything, just ask me to

Pay attention, I hope that you listen
'Cause I let my guard down
Right now I'm completely defenceless

For your eyes only
I'll show you my heart
For when you're lonely
And forget who you are
I'm missing half of me
When we're apart
Now you know me
For your eyes only
For your eyes only

As the introduction to the second chorus began, Harry walked across the stage, the spotlight now hitting the beautiful grand piano and revealing the very familiar pianist.

Playing their song, ready to sing the verse that their fans had never heard live, was his amazing fiancé. The screams that echoed around the arena were almost deafening. Resting against the piano, Harry beamed as Louis began to sing.

I’ve got scars, even though they can’t always be seen.
And pain gets hard,
But now you're here and I don't feel a thing

Pay attention, I hope that you listen
'Cause I let my guard down
Right now I'm completely defenceless

Their voices blended together perfectly as they sang, the crowd overwhelmed with the surprise and emotion of the song. It had been so long since the two of them had shared a stage, but tonight was the homecoming they desperately wanted to share.

As the song came to an end, the arena was silent. Harry shot Louis a panicked look across the piano. Had they seriously misjudged this? Before Harry’s heart could get into a fluster, the place erupted in noise.

Flags flew in the air, people were visibly crying and cheering and lights were shining all around. Louis got to his feet, standing beside Harry and taking his fiancé’s hand in his. The both of them were beaming as they looked out at the crowd; without a shadow of a doubt, this was the moment. This was the moment they would look back on and think ‘we did it.’

Chapter Text

Epilogue: Part One

‘Why did we think this was a great idea?’ Louis sighed, slipping a white t-shirt over his head. Trying not to be distracted by his fiancé's abs, Harry chuckled at the flustered look on his face. Early mornings were still tough on Louis, despite the three cups of tea he’d already drunk.

Glancing down, Louis flexed his foot in the black Adidas with custom rainbow stripes. Harry could tell by the look on his face that he was praying that they wouldn’t kill his feet by the time the day was over. He’d warned him a few times to wear them in, just to be safe. But as always, Louis hadn’t listened.

‘I think we were drinking....’ Harry shrugged, sliding a feather boa over his head and popping a pair of pink tinted glasses on his face. Louis rolled his eyes as Harry popped his hip and struck a pose.

Whilst Louis had always been the more subtle of the two, Harry embraced his flamboyant side with gusto. He was sporting a rainbow striped pair of trousers that made his legs look like they went on for miles. All hail vertical stripes.

‘Well maybe we should stop doing that!’ Laughing, Louis reached for his sunglasses and tucked them onto the top of his t-shirt.

‘Hey, you were the best drunken decision I ever made!’ Harry mock chastised him, shaking his head dramatically before kissing him square on the lips. ‘Oh! I have something that’ll finish your outfit right off!’ He skipped into the walk-in wardrobe, returning moments later with some head boppers, adorned with glitter rainbow hearts.

Louis scowled as Harry put them on his head, flicking one of the hearts so it bobbed back and forth.

‘You have got to be fucking kidding me.’ Louis hissed, folding his arms across his chest as Harry burst into laughter, holding onto his thighs as tears formed in his eyes.

‘You look a picture!’ Harry cackled, fighting to catch his breath as he watched Louis’ severely unimpressed expression. Despite the angry look on his face, Harry suspected that Louis would carry on wearing the head boppers regardless. The sound of the doorbell broke Harry from his laughter and he skipped downstairs to open the door. Throwing it open, his heart swelled at the sight of his best friend before him.

‘Hey! You look great!’ Harry beamed, as Niall twirled on the doorstep. Footsteps echoed through the hallway as Louis jogged down to meet them, ignoring the sniggers from Niall which he knew were aimed at his headwear. Niall had opted for a black t-shirt with a sequin rainbow heart on the front, a rainbow bandana and white jeans.
Harry felt himself practically glowing at the sight of the three of them. He never thought he’d see the day that his fiancé and his best friend would be in each other’s company, let alone recreate those friendships from back in the band days.

‘So the driver will take us to the compound, then we have to get to the bus and set up.’ Harry slid his phone into his back pocket as he spoke. They had spent months preparing for this, from hiring the bus to organising being part of the biggest PRIDE parade to ever be seen in London.

The couple were using the opportunity to launch their new project, The LHTS Foundation (otherwise known as the Louis and Harry Tomlinson-Styles Foundation), who will work with the LGBTQ Community and provide safe spaces for those who have found themselves in difficulties, alongside support lines for those who struggled in the way Louis did years ago.

‘I still don’t understand why we have to sing on a bloody bus! A moving bus no less!’ Louis shook his head, looking like he was regretting his life choices as he noticed Niall bouncing around the hallway. ‘Why are you acting like a flipping kangaroo?’ He narrowed his eyes at Niall, his sceptical side kicking in.

‘No reason...’ Niall replied, with that look on his face that he used to flash whenever he was asked whether he’d eaten the last packet of crisps. The doorbell rang again and Niall’s smile went almost manic. ‘So, I’ve got a surprise for you both...’

‘Well this I’m not looking forward to.’ Louis muttered, as Harry stared at the door expectantly. Niall opened it slowly, and the scream from Harry was almost deafening.

‘Oh my god.’ Louis whispered. Stood in their doorway, were the Liam and Zayn. Both wearing rainbow t-shirts from the charity collection that Louis and Harry were about to release. Harry's hands flew to his face as Louis stood rooted to the spot.

‘Hey guys.’ Zayn smiled gently, shifting his weight awkwardly from foot to foot.

‘Oh come here!’ Harry shouted, opening his arms wide as the five of them flew at each other for the first time in a decade. In the middle, Harry felt himself squashed but he couldn’t have been happier. He was so overwhelmed that his former band mates had made the trip to see them, he was fighting back tears.

‘I can’t believe you’re all here!’ Louis piped up, the disbelief hidden behind a genuine smile as the five of them hovered in their hallway.

‘I think we should get going though, before Styles’ angry vein pops out.’ Niall chuckled, his index finger prodding at Harry’s forehead. Swatting his hands away, Harry frowned at him before reaching for the keys.

‘Erm, can you look after these please?’ he offered them out to Louis, who raised an eyebrow at him.

‘Did Gucci not think to build pockets into your ostentatious trousers?’ Louis joked, sliding their house key into his front pocket.

‘Always have to make the Gucci joke... they’re not Gucci!’ Harry protested, flushing a little as the others chuckled in response. Leaning over to him, Louis whispered in his ear.

‘Either way, they’d look much better on our bedroom floor love.’ His breath hit Harry’s ear and he visibly gulped. Anything Louis said in that tone of voice drove Harry wild.

‘Come on lovebirds, London awaits!’ Niall called out loudly, waving his hand towards the black cars waiting for them. The group split in two, and the cars headed towards the parade meeting point.

*

‘Wow!’ Harry blinked back tears as his eyes settled on the bus. The old traditional red London bus had a new wrap and was emblazoned with the Foundation’s logo. The back of the bus had a huge photo of the two of them with their main team, which was taken during a promotional shoot a few weeks previously.

‘Fuck a duck. This is insane!’ Louis laughed, hoping onto the back of the bus and twirling around the pole. Harry raised an eyebrow at him curiously and Louis blushed.

‘I don’t think we need a pornographic display Louis!’ Liam chuckled, as their managers approached the group. Heading up the stairs, they saw a few instruments set up, as well as huge speakers that had been build to blast from the front of the bus. There were five familiar in ear mic packs sat side by side, and Harry smiled as a huge wave of nostalgia came over him.

‘This is gonna be so cool!’ Niall giggled, reaching for his pack and setting it all up. As the other four did the same, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder. It had been years since he’d seen Zayn face to face but the fact he was here today meant everything.

‘You should be proud man. This is such an achievement. You guys have created something special!’ There was a genuine smile behind dark eyes. Harry wrapped his arms around Zayn and pulled him close, enjoying having him home again.

‘Right, so what’s the set list? Now we have the whole gang, the possibilities are pretty endless!’ Liam smiled, throwing his microphone up in the air and catching it with ease.

‘Hi campers!’ a familiar voice rang up the bus and Harry grinned widely as Sarah and Mitch appeared from the small spiral staircase. ‘Are we excited? Oh holy fuck!’ Her eyes flew wide as they landed on Liam and Zayn, the surprise of seeing the two of them written all over her face. ‘So we’ve got the OT5? Oh my gosh, amazing!’ Clapping her hands together, Sarah made her way to the drum kit and began setting up.

‘So’ Louis started, somehow finding a clipboard in the array of mess on top of the bus. Harry shook his head, knowing any time Louis had a clipboard was going to be difficult. It somehow made him power mad. ‘We’re gonna do That’s What Makes You Beautiful, Perfect, Watermelon Sugar, As it Was, History, Don’t let it break your heart, Bigger Than Me and Best Song Ever.’

‘Good job we were sent rehearsal footage from Mr Sneaky over there.’ Zayn grinned, gesturing at Niall as he lined up his in-ears. ‘But shall we have an acapella run through quick?’

‘Where shall we start?’ Niall offered, as Mitch started to play the bridge to TWMYB. The five of them sported huge grins, jumping into a circle as Harry shouted out,

‘One, two, three, four!’

As though it was ten years ago, their voices blended together as one. The evidence of ten years of vocal maturity shone through, their voices had a richness to them which hadn’t been there in the past. It was beautiful.

Casting an eye around the group as they sang together, Harry felt his heart swell. His band were back together and they were about to drive around London and sing their favourite songs.

‘Excuse me! Who let you rowdy lot on my bus?’ a voice snapped them out of their thoughts, the group dissolving into excitable laughter before they ran at James, almost knocking him over. Five thirty year olds jumping on you will do that.

‘You’re our driver?’ Louis chuckled, nudging him in the side. It had been a long time since they’d seen James, only once since their infamous coming out interview.

‘Yes, I’ll have you know I got my bus licence especially for today!’ James beamed, thrusting his hands onto his hips. ‘And there’s a back up driver on stand by.’ He added casually, causing the lads to fall about with laughter.

One of the organisers popped their head up to say they need to get over to the procession start, so they made their way downstairs for the initial drive.

‘This is insane.’ Louis grinned, sliding into the seat beside Harry and comfortably slipping his hand over his thigh. ‘We're in the PRIDE parade, the five of us, for our own Foundation.’

‘Does it get any better?’ Harry sighed, resting his head against the window.

‘No love, this is up there with the best!’

Chapter Text

Epilogue: Part Two

I’m not sure how safe I feel up here.’ Niall mumbled, peering towards the edge of the bus, fingers tightly gripping his microphone. His face was a little pale as he looked out at the ground below.

‘It’ll be fine! It’s not even that high Nialler!’ Louis chuckled, leaning so far over the edge that Harry grabbed the back of his t-shirt in fear.

‘Please don’t do that!’ Harry exclaimed, feeling his heart start to race. Louis had always been the one to mess around, or at least be the catalyst of any prankster behaviour when the band were together. Some habits clearly didn’t leave him as he got older.

‘Right, we’re nearly in place!’ James’ voice boomed through the speakers on the top deck of the bus, making Liam and Harry visibly jump, as the others dissolved into laughter around them.

‘Huddle up!’ Niall called out, and the seven of them stood in a circle. Arms went across shoulders as the group faced each other.

‘I guess it’s up to us to say a few words.’ Harry chuckled, his voice already thick with emotion as he glanced across at Louis. Who, to Harry’s amusement, still had the heart shaped head boppers on his head. ‘I cannot put into words how grateful I am for your support and I am overwhelmed that you two are here today.’ He smiled at Liam and Zayn. ‘Today marks the culmination of so many things, but it’s the start of new beginnings too.’

‘H and I have worked so hard to get to this point and we’re so glad you’re here to share it with us.’ Louis added, his words referring to more than just their Foundation. ‘I’m also excited to sing some of our best hits!’

‘Let’s do this!’ Zayn exclaimed and they all cheered together. The bus lurched forward, signalling the start of the parade and they all grasped onto each other for stability.

‘JAMES!’ They all shouted out, a familiar dirty chuckle coming through the speakers moments later.

‘My bad!’ James called, laughing as he did so. Shaking his head, Harry adjusted his feather boa as he looked up the street. Their bus was to the back of the parade, so there was a little way to go until they reached the main area where the public would be.

‘Whatcha thinking?’ Louis’ voice filtered into Harry's ear, snapping his head round to see his fiancé. Green eyes met blue and Harry instantly felt a warmth radiate through him.

‘So many things.’ He chuckled in reply, spinning his microphone in his hand and catching it effortlessly.

‘But the biggest one is happy. I’m so happy.’

‘Me too baby, me too.’ Louis rested his head on Harry's shoulder, reaching up to place a gentle kiss behind his ear.

‘Are you guys ready?’ Mitch called out, as the crowds started to appear. Harry glanced to the rest of the band, who nodded eagerly. Mitch started to play those familiar chords and Liam was poised, ready to sing.

You're insecure, don't know what for
You're turning heads when you walk through the door
Don't need makeup to cover up
Being the way that you are is enough

Singing those familiar lyrics for the first time since they played the Summertime Ball back 2015, Harry felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. It made him wonder why they hadn’t done this sooner.

He was so very proud of the three albums he’d made as a solo artist and the two that Louis had made. They signified the music they had wanted to make as solo artists, and their fans had followed them every step of the way.

But there was no escape from the fact that One Direction made him who he was. He’d forever be indebted to the crew who made him Harry Styles. Not just Harry from Holmes Chapel. Most of all, the band led him to Louis, and for that, he’d never have a single regret.

As the bus came to a stop, the boys took the time to hang over the side of the bus, waving to the crowd and having brief conversations with the people below. As Harry glanced out, he saw a young girl, he assumed to be in her late teens, holding her hands over her face, eyes filled with unshed tears. She was wearing a cute rainbow hair band but the rest of her outfit was fairly plain.

There was a pull there he’d never experienced before with any member of the public, his heart aching as he saw her. Harry turned back to the guys and glanced over at Louis. Determination was written all over his face. Louis frowned, his expression showing he was unsure what Harry was going to do next, but knowing he was about to follow his fiancé somewhere.

‘I’ll be right back.’ Harry passed his microphone to Niall and disappeared down the stairs. With a sharp intake of breath, Louis followed close behind. Jumping down off the bus, Harry made his way over to the teen, grateful that the crowd parted so he could get to her.

‘Hi.’ Harry smiled, the girl blushing profusely in response. He knew security would be having a meltdown, but he also felt safe in that moment. ‘I’m Harry.’ Even though he was used to most people knowing who he was, manners had never been lost on Harry.

‘Jessica.’ Her voice was timid, like a baby deer. Her eyes were wide, as though she was in disbelief. Harry had no intention of leaving the bus, but when he saw Jessica in the crowd, he felt like he needed to speak to her.

‘Are you here alone?’ She nodded in reply and Harry’s stomach dropped. There was no issue with her being alone, but it seemed that she really needed a friend in that moment. ‘Are you ok? I saw you from the bus.’

‘I’m just so happy to see you. You and Louis actually.’ She started, fiddling with her necklace nervously as she spoke. ‘Your story inspired me to be my true self. I nearly... I nearly...but you made me see life was worth living again.’ Harry’s heart was starting to beat rapidly and in that moment he felt so glad that he had the support he needed.

‘Wow love, I’m glad we could do that.’ Louis’ voice came over Harry’s shoulder. He rested a hand on Harry’s back, letting him know he was there.

‘You should always be your true self.’ Harry added, with a smile. A lightbulb went off in Harry’s mind and his mouth engaged before his brain. ‘But you don’t have to be alone. Why don’t you join us on the bus?’

‘Oh I’m sure you don’t want me- ’

‘Larry!’ Niall’s voice bellowed from above them. Louis sniggered at their ship name, along with a few fans around them. ‘Bus is off!’

‘Shit!’ Louis chuckled, nodding back towards the bus. ‘We best go.’

‘Come on, it’ll be fun!’ Jessica’s eyes lit up as Harry and Louis each grabbed one of her hands and jogged towards the bus. They knew they’d be in trouble later, but they didn’t care. The crowd around them cheered as they helped Jessica up onto the bus and found her a seat behind James. Feeling proud of themselves, Harry and Louis re-joined the guys on the top deck.

‘You and your big old heart.’ Louis chuckled, ruffling Harry’s curls before Sarah counted them in.

I might never be your Knight in shining armour
I might never be the one you take home to mother
And I might never be the one who brings you flowers.
But I can be the one, be the one tonight

The boys jumped around and sung their hearts out as they travelled through Central London. The atmosphere of the parade was most certainly electric and they hoped that they had given the Foundation enough publicity so they could move forward with their plans.

It was the best song ever!

As they sung the last line, the five of them joined together for a group hug. Jessica had even come up to the top deck for the last two songs. As a special treat, they promised to give her two tickets to their next shows, whether that was as solo artists or as a collective.

Rolling back into the depot, they all jumped off the bus hyped up on adrenaline and love. Harry glanced over at his former bandmates and smiled. If someone had told him back in 2015 that by the time 2023 was over, he’d be engaged to Louis, touring his third studio album and be part of a PRIDE parade with his original band mates, he would’ve laughed and said you were mad.

Catching Louis’ eye, he flashed him that secret smile that was only for him. The one he used in interviews when they thought no-one was watching. Harry thought back to the days where they were changing song lyrics on stage to try and show the crowd that they were together in a subtle way, and it filled him with fond. It had taken a long time and a huge break up, but they made it. It just goes to show that love really does win in the end.

‘H!’ Louis called out, striding over to where he stood. ‘You stuck in your head again?’ he lightly tapped Harry's temple, making him chuckle.

‘Yeah, sorry baby.’ Harry smiled gently, fonding at how open he could be with Louis now. Everything was so easy between them. ‘Everything OK?’

‘Yeah, we’ve done the final photos so were all finished! Shall we go home?’ Louis held out his hand.

Interlocking their fingers, Harry giggled to himself as he realised he was already home. Wherever Louis was, that was home.