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The hotel suite in Tokyo was quiet except for the low hum of the air conditioning and the occasional distant sound of traffic far below. It was the middle of their On the Road Again tour, and the boys had been given a rare two-bedroom suite with a shared living area. After the exhausting show and the even more exhausting press obligations, they’d all crashed early.
Harry was curled up on the big pull-out sofa in the living room. He’d claimed it because he liked falling asleep to the city lights filtering through the half-open curtains. Tonight, though, sleep had turned against him.
The nightmare started innocently — the five of them on stage — then twisted. The crowd disappeared. The lights went out. He was alone, screaming for the others, but no one answered. Then came the heavy feeling of being trapped, of everything closing in, of losing them all. His breath caught in his chest. A broken whimper escaped his throat as he thrashed against the blankets.
Liam woke first.
He’d always been a light sleeper on tour. The soft, distressed sounds coming from the living room pulled him out of bed immediately. He padded across to the door in just his boxers and a loose t-shirt, rubbing sleep from his eyes, careful not to wake Niall who was asleep on the other side of his room.
“Harry?” he whispered, moving towards the sofa and crouching down beside it.
Harry was twisted in the sheets, curls damp with sweat, face scrunched up in fear. His breathing was too fast, shallow little gasps that broke Liam’s heart.
“Hey, Haz... Hazza- wake up, mate. It’s just a dream.” Liam sat on the edge of the sofa and gently shook Harry’s shoulder. When that didn’t work, he rubbed a warm hand up and down Harry’s back. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. Come on, wake up for me.”
Harry jolted awake with a gasp, eyes wide and unfocused. For a few terrifying seconds he didn’t seem to know where he was. His chest heaved as he sat up, hands clutching at Liam’s shirt.
“Liam—” His voice cracked, small and shaky.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Liam said softly, pulling Harry into a hug. He wrapped his strong arms around the younger boy, holding him tight. “You’re in Tokyo. In the hotel. Its just us boys here. It was just a nightmare.”
Harry buried his face in Liam’s shoulder, still trembling. He clung to him, breathing in the familiar scent of Liam’s shampoo, but his body wouldn’t stop shaking. The dream still clung to him — the suffocating loneliness, the fear of losing the only family he had out here.
“You’re alright,” Liam kept murmuring, one hand stroking through Harry’s damp curls. “I’ve got you. Breathe with me, yeah?”
They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. Liam’s presence helped, steady and safe like always, but Harry’s breathing was still ragged, tears slipping silently down his cheeks.
The door to the other bedroom creaked open.
Louis appeared in the doorway, hair messy, wearing one of Harry’s old hoodies that swallowed him. He took one look at the scene and his face softened with understanding.
“Nightmare?” he asked quietly.
Liam nodded. “A bad one. He’s still pretty shaken.”
Louis crossed the room without hesitation. He climbed onto the sofa behind Harry, knees bracketing Harry’s hips, and wrapped his arms around him from the back, chest pressed to Harry’s spine.
“I’ve got him, Payno,” Louis said gently. “You can go back to sleep. Thanks for looking after him.”
Liam gave Harry one last squeeze and ruffled his curls. “Shout if you need me.” He stood up, shooting Louis a grateful look before heading back to bed.
The second Liam was gone, Harry turned in Louis’s arms and practically melted into him. He tucked his face into the crook of Louis’s neck, legs tangling with Louis’s as he tried to get as close as possible.
“Lou...” Harry whispered, voice thick with tears.
“I’m here, baby. Right here.” Louis manoeuvred them so they were lying down again, Harry half on top of him, their bodies pressed together from chest to thigh. He pulled the blanket over both of them and wrapped Harry up completely — one arm around his back, the other hand cradling the back of Harry’s head, fingers threading gently through his curls.
Harry let out a shaky breath, the tension finally starting to leave his body. Louis’s scent, the steady beat of his heart, the way his smaller frame somehow made Harry feel completely safe — it was everything the nightmare had tried to take away.
“Want to tell me about it?” Louis asked softly, lips brushing Harry’s temple.
Harry shook his head, then changed his mind. “Everyone was gone,” he mumbled against Louis’s neck. “I couldn’t find any of you. The stage was empty and I kept calling but no one answered..."
Louis’s arms tightened. “Never gonna happen. You’re stuck with us, Curly. None of us are going anywhere. Especially me.” He pressed a slow kiss to Harry’s forehead, then another to his cheek, then the corner of his mouth. “I’ve got you now. Feel my heartbeat? Just focus on that.”
Harry nodded, nuzzling closer. One of his hands slipped under Louis’s (his own) hoodie to rest against warm skin, grounding himself in the contact. Louis kept up a steady stream of quiet words — soft praises, silly memories from the tour, gentle teasing about how Harry always stole the blankets.
“You’re my favourite cuddle monster, you know that?” Louis whispered, rubbing slow circles on Harry’s back. “Big tall baby who needs to be held after scary dreams. Lucky for you, I’m excellent at this.”
Harry let out a watery laugh, the sound muffled against Louis’s collarbone. His legs tangled tighter with Louis’s, one thigh thrown over Louis’s hip so they were completely wrapped up in each other.
Louis kissed the top of his head again. “There we go. That’s better. My sweet boy.”
They stayed like that for a long time. The city lights outside cast a gentle glow across the room. Louis continued stroking Harry’s hair, occasionally pressing kisses wherever he could reach — his temple, his curls, the shell of his ear. Harry’s breathing slowly evened out, the trembling fading into occasional shivers that Louis soothed with warm hands and softer whispers.
“Love you,” Harry mumbled eventually, already half-asleep again, safe in Louis’s arms.
“Love you more,” Louis replied without hesitation. He pulled the blanket higher around Harry’s shoulders and tucked him even closer. “Sleep now, Haz. I’m not going anywhere.”
Harry finally drifted off, face peaceful, body heavy and relaxed against Louis’s. Louis stayed awake a little longer, continuing to rub his back and press occasional kisses into his hair, making sure every last bit of fear was chased away.
In the morning, Liam would probably tease them about how entangled they were, and Zayn would take pictures for the group chat. But right now, in the quiet darkness of the hotel suite, it was just the two of them — warm, safe, and wrapped up together exactly the way they were meant to be.
Louis smiled softly against Harry’s curls and finally closed his eyes, content in the knowledge that he was exactly where Harry needed him to be.