Chapter Text
Louis stood in front of the mirror in the X-Factor toilets, trying to fix his fringe. He'd spent ages on it that morning - proper important, having good hair when you're trying to be a pop star. The whole building was buzzing with nervous energy, hundreds of contestants all trying to prove themselves. At eighteen, he felt practically ancient compared to some of them.
He'd noticed this one kid earlier - all curls and dimples, looked about twelve but had a voice like nothing Louis had ever heard. Kept finding himself watching him during rehearsals, which was weird. Louis didn't usually notice boys like that. Didn't notice boys at all, really. He had Hannah back home, loved her and everything. So this was... different. Confusing.
The door creaked open and speak of the devil - it was him. The curly one. Harry, Louis remembered. Sixteen and already carrying himself like he belonged here.
"Hi," Louis managed, something unfamiliar fluttering in his stomach.
The boy turned, startled, and - because this was apparently Louis's life now - promptly weed on Louis's shoe.
"Oops!" Harry exclaimed, eyes wide and mortified.
Louis couldn't help but laugh - a proper cackle that echoed off the tiles. The tension in his chest eased somehow. "Mate, if you wanted my attention that badly, you could've just said hello."
Harry's face went from mortified to delighted in an instant, dimples appearing as he grinned. Something twisted in Louis's chest at the sight, but he pushed it down. Just nerves about the competition, probably.
Later, calling Hannah from his tiny room, Louis couldn't stop talking about him.
"You should hear him sing, Han. Proper star material. And he's funny too - bit weird, like, but in a good way?"
"You've mentioned," Hannah teased. "About twelve times now."
"Shut up," Louis laughed, but something uncomfortable settled in his stomach. "Just... there's something about him, you know? Like... I dunno. Never met anyone quite like him."
"Sounds like someone's got a crush," she sang.
"Don't be- that's not-" Louis stuttered, panic rising suddenly in his throat. "It's not like that. He's just... different. Special, like. As a mate."
But later that night, lying in his bed, Louis couldn't shake the way his heart had jumped when Harry smiled at him. Couldn't explain why he kept thinking about those dimples, that ridiculous laugh.
It didn't mean anything though. Couldn't mean anything. He just... admired him, that's all. Nothing wrong with that.
Louis watched Harry across the rehearsal space, chatting animatedly with some other contestants. There was just something about him - the way people gravitated toward him naturally, how his slow drawl somehow made even the dullest stories entertaining.
Louis pulled out his phone, fiddling with it nervously. It was stupid maybe, but...
"Oi, Curly!" he called out before he could overthink it.
Harry's head whipped around immediately, face breaking into that ridiculous grin. Always looked proper pleased to see Louis, that one. Made Louis's chest do weird things he wasn't ready to think about.
"Take a photo with me?"
"Yeah?" Harry bounded over like an overexcited puppy. "What for?"
"Well," Louis tried to sound casual, ignoring the way his heart was racing. "Figure I should get one now, before you're proper famous and too good for the likes of me."
Harry's face did something complicated. "Lou..."
"Come on then," Louis cut him off, throwing an arm around Harry's shoulders. Tried not to notice how naturally they fit together. "Smile pretty for the camera, pop star."
Harry pressed close to his side, dimples on full display. Louis snapped the picture, then immediately took another because in the first one he'd been looking at Harry instead of the camera.
"Send that to me?" Harry asked, not moving away even though the photo was done.
"Course. Need proof you knew me when, don't you?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "If anyone's going to be a star, it's you."
"Mate, have you heard yourself sing? You're something else entirely."
"We could both be stars," Harry said softly, and something in his tone made Louis's breath catch. "Together, maybe."
Louis forced a laugh, stepping back slightly. These moments with Harry were getting dangerous - making him feel things he didn't understand, didn't want to understand. "Yeah, well. We'll see what Simon says, won't we?"
But he saved both photos carefully - the proper one, and the one where he was looking at Harry like... well. Best not to think about how he was looking at Harry.
Just in case Harry was right. About the together part.
Louis felt numb. Eliminated. Done. Over. Everything he'd worked for, gone in an instant. He couldn't even look at Harry - sweet, talented Harry who'd also been cut. It felt wrong, that voice being rejected. The universe had properly fucked up there.
Then they were being called back. Him, Harry, Liam, Zayn, and that Irish lad Niall. Louis's heart was hammering so hard he could barely hear anything over the rush of blood in his ears.
Nicole Scherzinger was speaking, something about potential and chemistry. Simon was nodding along. Louis caught fragments through his panic - "work well together" and "strong as a group" and then-
"We've decided to put you through as a group."
The world stopped.
Then exploded.
And suddenly he found himself in Harry's arms, all gangly limbs and wild curls, practically climbing him like a tree. Harry caught him instinctively, spinning them both around as Harry buried his face in Louis's neck. They were both crying, laughing, screaming maybe - Louis couldn't tell anymore.
"Lou!" Harry was gasping against his skin. "Lou, we did it!"
"We did it," Louis repeated dazedly, still holding Harry tight. "We're staying together."
Together. The word hit him like a physical force. He wouldn't have to say goodbye to Harry. Wouldn't have to watch from afar as that curly-headed boy became the star Louis knew he was meant to be. They'd do it together.
The other boys were hugging them now too, all five of them tangled in a mess of limbs and tears and joy. But Louis couldn't focus on anything except Harry's hand gripping his shirt, Harry's breath against his neck, Harry's heartbeat thundering against his chest.
The adrenaline still pulsed through Louis as they stepped off the stage, the echoes of applause ringing in his ears. They were hustled quickly into position for their first interview as a group - their first interview ever, really. Louis's hands were shaking slightly as they arranged themselves, Harry somehow ending up right beside him.
The interviewer started asking questions about their feelings, their hopes, their plans as a group. Louis tried to focus, to give proper answers - this was important, their first chance to show what they could be. But Harry... Harry wouldn't stop looking at him.
Every time Louis glanced over, those green eyes were fixed on him, bright with something that made Louis's stomach flip. Even when the interviewer addressed Harry directly, he'd barely turn toward her before his gaze was drawn back to Louis like a magnet.
It was distracting. Unsettling. Made Louis's skin feel too tight, his thoughts scattered. He had a girlfriend, for Christ's sake. Shouldn't be noticing how Harry's dimples appeared when he smiled, or how his curls fell across his forehead, or how his whole face lit up every time Louis spoke.
"And Harry, what are your thoughts on being put together as a group?"
Harry barely looked at the interviewer, eyes locked on Louis as he answered, "It's amazing. Like it was meant to be."
Louis forced himself to stare straight ahead, fighting the urge to meet Harry's gaze again. This wasn't... he couldn't... it was just excitement about making it through. That's all. Had to be.
But Harry kept watching him, soft and intent, like Louis was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. And Louis couldn't stop his heart from racing every time he felt those eyes on him.
The interview continued around them, but Louis barely registered it - too caught up in the magnetic pull of Harry's presence beside him, too busy trying to understand why it affected him so much.
What was happening to him?
Louis sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone. Hannah was curled up next to him, watching telly, but his mind was elsewhere. Every few minutes he'd check his messages, pretending he wasn't hoping to see Harry's name pop up.
It was mental, really. He'd only known the lad a few weeks, but somehow Harry had carved out this space in his life that seemed to grow larger by the day. Louis kept catching himself thinking about him at odd moments - wondering what he was doing, if he was as excited about their second chance as Louis was.
His phone buzzed. Louis's heart jumped before he could stop it.
"Hello?" He answered, trying to sound casual.
"Louis!" Harry's voice crackled through the speaker, warm and excited. "You awake?"
"No, I'm sleep-talking," Louis teased, earning a bark of laughter that made his stomach flip. He ignored it. "What's up, Curly?"
"My stepdad's got this bungalow, right? And I was thinking - we should all come stay for a bit. Before everything starts properly. Just us lads, getting to know each other better."
Louis glanced at Hannah, who was absorbed in whatever she was watching. "Yeah?"
"Yeah! We can swim, play video games, proper lad stuff. No cameras, no judges. Just... us."
There was something in Harry's voice - something eager and vulnerable that made Louis's chest tight. "Sounds sick," he managed. "When were you thinking?"
"Friday? For the weekend?" Harry sounded hesitant now. "If you're not busy with... you know. Your girlfriend and stuff."
"Nah, I can make it work," Louis said quickly - too quickly maybe. Hannah looked over at him questioningly. He gave her a quick smile. "Team bonding and all that, innit?"
"Exactly!" Harry's enthusiasm was back full force. "It'll be proper fun, Lou. Promise."
Lou. The nickname sent a shiver down his spine that he firmly ignored. "Course it will be. You're organizing it, aren't you?"
Harry's pleased laugh made something warm bloom in Louis's chest. He pushed it down, hard. This was getting dangerous - these little moments where Harry made him feel... different. Special. It wasn't right, wasn't normal. He had Hannah. He liked girls. Always had.
"Right then," he said brightly, maybe too brightly. "Text me the details?"
"Will do! Night Lou!"
"Night Haz."
Louis stared at his phone long after Harry hung up, trying to make sense of the mess of feelings tangling in his chest. Hannah shifted beside him.
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah," he said automatically. "Just... band stuff."
But later, lying awake while Hannah slept beside him, Louis couldn't stop thinking about Harry's laugh, his excitement about them all being together. Couldn't stop wondering why the thought of spending a weekend with him made Louis's heart race like this.
It wasn't... he wasn't...
Louis rolled over, squeezing his eyes shut. He just admired Harry, that's all. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing weird about wanting to be around someone who made you laugh, who looked at you like you hung the moon.
Nothing weird at all.