Kings and Beggars of the World - Final Part
Title: Kings and Beggars of the World
Rating: NC-17
Author: braincloud2
Parings: Harry/Louis, ot5
Warnings: Sexual content, unexplained time-travel, and some offensive language.
Disclaimer: I don’t own people. I don’t intend offense. This is fiction.
Word Count: 75,000-something-idk COMPLETE
Summary: Harry’s on tour and he feels on top of the world-until he wakes up one morning to find himself at the first day of the X Factor boot-camp, just sixteen years old again, and absolutely terrified that he’s just lost the last two years of his life.
pt 1 --- pt 2 --- pt 3 --- pt 4 --- pt 5 --- pt 6 --- pt 7 --- pt 8 --- pt 9 --- pt 10 --- pt 11 --- pt 12 --- pt 13 --- pt 14 --- pt 15 --- pt 16
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone reading this and who gave me support throughout this fic, each and every message and comment makes me smile you guys are lovely and wonderful people and I hope you enjoyed what was my very first piece of fanfiction that was supposed to stop at 10,000 words long haha. Massive thanks and love to all of you again. This is my Tumblr here. Xxx
‘Harry. Harry. Are you getting out, we’re here?’
He blinked out of his reverie and looked across at Lou Teasdale as they arrived.
‘You know, you’re being creepily quiet today. Do you think you’re coming down with something? Harry?’
‘Sorry.’
‘Oh, honestly. All right, game face on now. Let’s go.’
She tugged on his wrist, making him move from his seat and out into the backstage garage of the venue. ‘Why don’t you find some tea, it might make you feel a bit better. I’m just going to check with Paul if I’m needed for anything. Hopefully the other boys have managed the trip without messing themselves up too much.’ Lou sighed dramatically. ‘I might have to hunt down the tea and coffee with you otherwise.’
She bustled off with her bag, leaving Harry to himself. He wandered through the back rooms letting people move around and by him, until he came upon a small refreshments table with some biscuits and a boiler for hot water, next to boxes of tea and instant coffee. He took a take-away cup from a stack and watched the hot water fill it, dunking a teabag in it listlessly, and trying desperately to ignore the growing ache in his chest.
‘Hallo there, Styles,’ a lady called.
Harry turned to see Katie, one of their management staff coming towards him. ‘Oof, is the boiler working? I need a cuppa, it’s going to be one of those days I can already tell.’
He mumbled an agreement, shuffling to the side so Katie could get herself a cup.
She brushed her whispery her back to her ponytail, and it fell forward again as she let go. ‘Everything was fine earlier. I don’t know, I think Zayn tried to nap in the car and the other boys were being too rowdy. He’s been irritable since he woke up, and he stalked off to be alone the moment we arrived. Hm, are those shortbread biscuits? Ooh, look there’s all different kinds too. I think I might have the last jam one, bit don’t tell Lou, they’re her favourite.’
‘I heard that.’ Lou said, stepping aside through the doorway to let several lighting crew get by her. ‘I was right, you know. Niall had accidently flattened his hair. There’s just something about the morning that makes it harder for you boys not to mess up my work. Now gimme, gimme, I need tea.’ She made grabby hands at the stack of paper cups.
Harry just handed her his own instead, realising he wasn’t going to drink any.
‘Thanks, darling, is that for me? Morning Katie.’
‘Morning, you alright?’ Katie’s phone started ringing and she stepped away. ‘Hang on, let me grab this.’
‘The funniest thing happened before,’ Lou said. ‘I was doing Niall’s hair and he fell asleep right on the stool, the doll, but when I woke him up after I was finished, he looked like he had no idea where he was. I’ve never seen someone look that disoriented after just falling asleep for a minute or two. It’s a pity we didn’t film it actually.’
Her words slid thickly into Harry’s head, slowly building up to make sense. ‘Niall.’
‘What? Yes, Niall, that’s what I said. Gosh, you’re slow today.’
Harry turned away without another word, making right for the main corridors. He followed them swiftly, peering in and out of the rooms he past, hoping to stumble across one with-
He turned into a guest room with a wide-screen telly and game system set up, his gaze instantly going to the blue couch where a boy slept.
‘Liam.’ Harry fell to his knees next to the couch, running his hands over Liam’s broadened and filled out chest and up to his face, edged with scruffy stubble. ‘Liam, wake up. Please come on. Come on, mate.’
Liam’s eyelids squeezed tighter for a moment before opening. His face slackened in surprise as his eyes focused on Harry’s face. ‘Harry? You look-oh my God, are we back?’
Harry laughed. ‘Liam! Oh fuck, it’s you. My Liam.’ He curved his hands around the back of Liam’s head as the bother boy’s arm came up possessively around his back and they locked together in a hard kiss. Harry pressed all his relief into Liam, and Liam pulled Harry down tighter against him.
A startled noise a moment later had Harry pulling abruptly off the shiny red of Liam’s lips and they both turned around.
Zayn, looking incredibly tanned and amazing with his hair pushed high and fine dark eyeliner framing his eyes, stared at them from the doorway. ‘Is it you?’ Zayn croaked. ‘Are you actually-’
‘Zayn.’ Harry leapt up and grabbed him. ‘Oh my God, man. Fuck.’
Zayn caught him easily and stole Harry’s breath ruthlessly, his mouth fighting to own all of Harry’s. He pulled off only to haul Liam in and Harry watched them kiss too, before Zayn finally stopped for air and pressed his forehead to Liam’s. ‘Why weren’t you here before?’ he accused him breathlessly.
Liam looked confused. ‘I just woke up, I don’t know what’s going on! Where are we? Where are the others?’
‘We’re in America again,’ Harry said. ‘We have a concert to perform soon.’
‘A concert?’ Liam boggled. ‘But I don’t even remember getting here at all?’
‘You were in the car with me,’ Zayn said. ‘I woke up there, but you were like-different.’
‘As if he’d never gone back to the X Factor?’ Harry asked.
‘Yeah exactly. You were like... as if time had always continued normal for you. Scared the crap out of me, actually.’
‘I think we must have been like that too for a bit,’ Harry said. ‘When I woke up here, I was basically already dressed, but I don’t remember getting up or like, having breakfast.’
‘Well, I’m just happy you’re both here now,’ Zayn said, squeezing them both tighter against him. ‘Do you reckon that Louis and Niall might…?’
‘They will,’ Harry said, hoping it was the truth. ‘Niall may be back right now, I was on my way to find him when I saw Liam.’
‘Let’s find him then, come on,’ Zayn said, pushing them impatiently through the doorway.
They hurried through the main corridors, weaving around stage and management crew until they reached some stairs leading down to the lower studios backstage. ‘Have you really been here since breakfast?’ Liam asked Harry as they came off the stairs.
‘Yeah. Why?’
‘Seems a bit weird that we’re coming to so far apart from each other this time. I mean, fine we woke up in weird places last time at boot-camp too, but we all woke up around about the same time. There’s got to be hours difference between us this time.’
‘Yeah, I don’t-’ Harry’s breath halted completely as his gaze fell on Louis standing on the other side of the room.
The older boy was texting tint the corner, his eyes focused on the glow of his screen and Harry felt a sickly disappointment weigh him down inside that Louis clearly still hadn’t changed.
‘Niall!’ Zayn drew Harry’s attention to where the Irish lad sat alone on a plastic chair, his arms hugging himself.
Niall turned just as they reached him, his eyes starkly blue against his too pale skin, right before Zayn and Liam wrapped him into a double hug. Harry threw himself onto them too, causing all four of them to tumble the chair over and crash into a pile on the ground.
‘But you weren’t-?’ Niall said to Liam. ‘You were here before messing around with Louis and neither o’ you remembered.’
‘I only just woke up to Harry, back there on the sofa,’ Liam said. ‘I’m so sorry, Niall. God, I don’t know why we’re all waking up at different times. Sorry for making you worry.’
Niall shook his head. ‘It’s okay. Maybe it’s because we went to sleep at different times.’
‘Oh! Yeah, that’s a thought,’ Liam said, wiggling about to look at Harry beneath him. ‘It must be that. Last night, Harry, when you fell asleep in the car, we couldn’t really wake you up. Louis said to just let you sleep, so we carried you inside. Maybe that’s why you woke up hours before.’
‘You’re right,’ Zyan realised. ‘Cause the rest of us went to supper, right? And Niall went for a shower as I turned in.’
‘That’s right,’ Niall nodded.
‘But, why hasn’t Louis changed then?’ Harry asked in a small voice.
Liam frowned. ‘He… he couldn’t sleep. We stayed up talking later than you guys, because he said he couldn’t stop thinking about everything, and he was kind of upset about, well.’ Liam hesitated.
‘About what?’ Harry asked.
‘Oi, lads, you best be off the floor before Teasdale sees you,’ Louis called, eyeing the group of them. ‘She’ll throw a right fit otherwise.’
‘Um, he’s right. Everyone up,’ Liam said after a pause.
They untangled themselves and got to their feet, surreptitiously avoiding looking at Louis as they stuck together.
‘Interview in fifteen minutes boys!’ Paul called from the near the entranceway of the lower corridors, and Harry hadn’t even noticed the man standing there with the venue managers.
He wondered if it would be weird if he just went up and hugged the man, but then got up to do it anyway. Niall dashed in front and got there first though, jumping on Paul and hanging onto the man in a limpet-like hug.
‘Oof, what’s got into you four?’ Paul huffed, as Liam and Zayn both joined in, making the man stagger under all their weight.
‘Just showing our realised appreciation for you,’ Harry said.
‘Well, can you realise your appreciation some other time, I’m busy.’
Over Paul’s shoulder Harry saw Louis watching them, a small frown on his face.
1D
The pointy-faced interview woman asked a barrage of questions, most of which Niall got stuck answering since he was the closest to her. Liam and Zayn dropped comments here and there, but Harry was watching Louis with bated breath.
The older boy had been weirdly restrained as the interview had been set up, like he’d sensed something was off with how the other four were interacting, and that he wasn’t a part of it. He stood with his hands in his pockets for the first five minutes of the interview, wearing a polite expression on his face, when usually Louis would have been all over Zayn and Harry next to him, or making noises with Liam.
As the interview continued though, Louis’ started to sag to the side, his head nodding forward a little. Harry acted on instinct, putting a hand on the small of Louis’ back to support him, and Louis responded automatically, putting his own arm around Harry’s waist and half slumping against Zayn. Louis’ head drooped again, his eyes closing in long blinks before he raised his chin, struggling to stay awake.
‘Can you tell me what it’s like to be on touring the States again?’ the woman asked, and as Liam trotted out a suitable answer, Louis’ grip slackened on Harry’s hip, his eyes slipping shut. His face relaxed into sleep, his mouth in a soft line as he rested his head on Zayn’s shoulder.
Harry looked back at the interviewer now talking to Niall again, and at her camera crew; the bored man holding the sound boom chewing on gum as he looked on, and the man half-kneeling behind the camera. Neither of them had noticed Louis yet, and Harry tried to edge in front of the older boy, blocking him off from the lens.
‘And are you enjoying this tour more or less than your last one?’
‘Oh, more definitely,’ Liam said, looking around at them for their support.
Harry murmured his answer, more concerned with how Katie was frowning from where she stood by the back wall. She leant over to whisper something to Paul and the large man looked up, scanning the line of boys and stopping on where Harry was blocking Louis.
Paul raised his eyebrows in reprimand, gesturing for Harry to step back again.
‘Hold up,’ the interviewer said, leaning forward and aiming a long finger at Louis. ‘Is that one asleep?’
All the boys fell silent, looking around as one at Louis.
‘He is, he’s asleep!’ the pointy-faced woman said in delight.
Harry shared the anxious energy destroying him on the inside, with Zayn as they met each other’s eyes. Carefully, Zayn moved his shoulder and eased Louis up, cupping the back of his head with one hand and making sure he didn’t fall forward with the other.
‘That’s Louis isn’t it? Did someone have a bit of a late night?’ the woman laughed, her camera man moving to get a close shot of Louis waking up.
Coming to with a deep inhale and a jerk, Louis’ eyes opened and he blinked sleepily, staring at Harry uncomprehendingly for a second.
The interviewer laughed again. ‘Are you okay there, son? Do you need a pillow?’
Louis’ mouth opened and his head whipped around, his grip going frighteningly tight on Harry’s waist.
‘He’s alright,’ Zayn said. ‘We just had a long night yesterday.’
‘Yep, he’s fine. Aren’t yeh, Lou?’ Niall nodded encouragingly.
‘Uh,’ Louis said tentatively, voice soft. ‘Yeah, sorry about that, lads. Don’t know what happened.’
Harry huddled closer as Zayn wrapped his arm around Louis’ neck, both of them sandwiching Louis between them. He clutched back at them, his eyes skittishly moving around the room and his pulse fluttering too fast where Harry could feel it.
Harry wanted to cuddle him in closer and kiss him until he didn’t have that look on his face anymore, but there were all these people looking on. The interview dragged on, the lady asking increasingly annoying questions like, what would suave thing would Harry say to a girl if he wanted to woo her, and Harry didn't even know what he replied, mumbling out something he hoped was what the interviewer wanted. Even Niall began to give short answers as the woman continued to press questions.
At last, management gave the signal for them to wrap it up, and they did so gratefully, each shaking the lady’s hand quickly and stepping off to the side of the camera.
‘Louis.’ They converged on him.
‘Mate, please,’
‘Lou,’
‘You gotta be back.’
‘Oh my God,’ Louis said faintly, staring at them all.
‘Boys,’ Paul’s deep voice interrupted. He and Katie approached the boys and Paul shook his head as he looked at Louis. ‘Honestly, Tommo.’
Louis watched him like he wasn’t sure the man was real. ‘Sorry, boss?’
‘Okay. You’ve got a little bit of time before you have to get ready to go on,’ Katie said, tapping something into her blackberry. ‘So don’t wander off too far and don’t-are you listening? Liam? Harry?’
‘Yeah,’ Liam said quickly.
Harry pulled his eyes from Louis.
‘Come on, focus please,’ Paul said. ‘You know the drill. Don’t mess up your clothes or your hair. I need you behind the stage in ten minutes and getting your in-ears actually in, okay?’
They agreed hurriedly and moved away from the team. Banding together, they squeezed by the crew and out through the lower corridors, running into more people everywhere they turned. Some paused as they realised who the boys barrelling by them were, and Harry begun to get frustrated as the clawing urgency inside him grew.
‘Hey, over here,’ Niall said, opening a door to reveal a, thankfully empty, small room with a door on the other side and salmon lounges opposite a tank of spring water and foam cups.
They fell inside, Harry shutting the door firmly as Liam tackled Louis onto the couch, Zayn and Niall following and leaping on him, touching him everywhere they could get.
‘Hi, hi,’ Louis said, laughing.
‘It’s you, ‘Niall said burying his face into Louis’ shoulder.
‘It is,’ Louis agreed smiling. ‘Hi.’
‘God, that was so weird,’ Liam said. ‘Please don’t ever do that again.’
‘I won’t if you tell me what’s going on because I have no bloody clue. Are we all back in the future then?’
‘We’re back in America, yeah,’ Zayn said. ‘You were the last one to come back.’
‘Or forward, technically,’ Liam added.
‘Was I? What can I say, I’m fashionably late.’
‘Idiot,’ Niall said fondly and Louis laughed and squirmed as Liam dug his fingers into the older boy’s side.
Louis’ gaze fell on Harry still standing by the door, and his smile faded away. ‘Harry?’
Harry stepped forward, walking right up until he loomed over the four boys. Louis resignedly looked back at him, his eyes dulling his eyes to an odd grey. Harry didn’t know what the older boy was waiting for him to say so he said the only thing he could think.
‘I love you.’ Harry crawled forward onto Louis lap, wrapping an arm around his head and kissing his eyes, and cheeks and lips. ‘I love you. I love you.’
Louis gaped up at him. ‘What? You what?’
‘I’m in love with you. Love all of you. Always.’
‘But-’ Louis pushed his roving kisses away, still looking shell-shocked. ‘Wait, I thought you didn’t want this anymore.’
Harry pulled back. ‘Not want it?’
‘You said you wanted for all of this to have never happened,’ Louis explained weakly. ‘For us to have never happened.’
‘Not this, I don’t.’ Harry took the boy’s face between his hands. ‘Louis, I’m so in love you, I can’t even think beyond it.’
‘I’m.’ Louis smiled, looking like he was about to cry. ‘I’m in love with you too.’
They came together, trading long kisses, barely pausing to breathe in between.
‘Aw, aren’t you too absolutely precious,’ Liam said, and Harry laughed at how genuine he sounded.
He pulled off to kiss Liam too. ‘Love you, Liam.’
‘Love you, Haz.
‘Love you a million times,’ Niall said, pecking both Louis and Harry on the cheek, and waving at the two he couldn’t reach. ‘Love you, Zayn. Love you, Liam.’
‘Wow, this is a lot of love going around,’ Liam said.
‘Everybody love Niall.’ Louis cried, rolling over and making Niall shout as he was squashed.
Liam shifted over, tickling Louis again under the pretence of saving Niall, even though Louis’ wriggling and slapping at Liam was actually making things worse for the blonde boy crushed beneath them. Zayn and Harry went to help, and the five of them made so much noise over the next few minutes, that they didn’t notice the lady trying to get their attention until her third call.
‘Boys, your manager wants you back.’
Still giggling, they fixed themselves up and straightened their clothes, sticking close together as they followed back through the corridor. Whispering to one another and laughing, they got themselves ready to go on stage, the familiar roar or the crowd sending thrills through their blood.
‘God, this is going to be the worst performance we’ve ever done,’ Liam said with a nervous laugh. ‘I can hardly remember the way the set list goes.’
‘Nevermind, we’ll get through it and you’ll do great,’ Harry said into Liam’s short hair.
‘Do you think anyone will notice,’ Louis said, fixing the black sound box to the back of his trousers. ‘About us?’
‘Maybe,’ Harry answered. He wondered how it would go, if their fans would see a difference in them, if their families and friends would, but he slipped his hand over Louis’ anyway, Louis palm turning over instantly and fitting snugly inside Harry’s.
Louis raised his eyebrow. ‘If you keep holding my hand they will definitely notice.’
Harry shrugged smiling. ‘Don’t want to be anywhere else.’
Louis covered his own face. ‘Oh God. Oh, that was so sappy, I can’t believe some people think you’re suave.’
‘Hey. I can be very suave.’
Niall and Liam overheard and hooted with laughter at him.
‘I can!’
‘Boys, it’s time,’ Paul said. ‘Go stand in your places.’
They moved towards the roaring cheers of the crowd, and as Harry listened to the other boys’ laughter in the dark of the backstage around him, he thought that he could never want or wish for anything more than just this.
Rating: NC-17
Author: braincloud2
Parings: Harry/Louis, ot5
Warnings: Sexual content, unexplained time-travel, and some offensive language.
Disclaimer: I don’t own people. I don’t intend offense. This is fiction.
Word Count: 75,000-something-idk COMPLETE
Summary: Harry’s on tour and he feels on top of the world-until he wakes up one morning to find himself at the first day of the X Factor boot-camp, just sixteen years old again, and absolutely terrified that he’s just lost the last two years of his life.
pt 1 --- pt 2 --- pt 3 --- pt 4 --- pt 5 --- pt 6 --- pt 7 --- pt 8 --- pt 9 --- pt 10 --- pt 11 --- pt 12 --- pt 13 --- pt 14 --- pt 15 --- pt 16
A/N: Thank you so much to everyone reading this and who gave me support throughout this fic, each and every message and comment makes me smile you guys are lovely and wonderful people and I hope you enjoyed what was my very first piece of fanfiction that was supposed to stop at 10,000 words long haha. Massive thanks and love to all of you again. This is my Tumblr here. Xxx
‘Harry. Harry. Are you getting out, we’re here?’
He blinked out of his reverie and looked across at Lou Teasdale as they arrived.
‘You know, you’re being creepily quiet today. Do you think you’re coming down with something? Harry?’
‘Sorry.’
‘Oh, honestly. All right, game face on now. Let’s go.’
She tugged on his wrist, making him move from his seat and out into the backstage garage of the venue. ‘Why don’t you find some tea, it might make you feel a bit better. I’m just going to check with Paul if I’m needed for anything. Hopefully the other boys have managed the trip without messing themselves up too much.’ Lou sighed dramatically. ‘I might have to hunt down the tea and coffee with you otherwise.’
She bustled off with her bag, leaving Harry to himself. He wandered through the back rooms letting people move around and by him, until he came upon a small refreshments table with some biscuits and a boiler for hot water, next to boxes of tea and instant coffee. He took a take-away cup from a stack and watched the hot water fill it, dunking a teabag in it listlessly, and trying desperately to ignore the growing ache in his chest.
‘Hallo there, Styles,’ a lady called.
Harry turned to see Katie, one of their management staff coming towards him. ‘Oof, is the boiler working? I need a cuppa, it’s going to be one of those days I can already tell.’
He mumbled an agreement, shuffling to the side so Katie could get herself a cup.
She brushed her whispery her back to her ponytail, and it fell forward again as she let go. ‘Everything was fine earlier. I don’t know, I think Zayn tried to nap in the car and the other boys were being too rowdy. He’s been irritable since he woke up, and he stalked off to be alone the moment we arrived. Hm, are those shortbread biscuits? Ooh, look there’s all different kinds too. I think I might have the last jam one, bit don’t tell Lou, they’re her favourite.’
‘I heard that.’ Lou said, stepping aside through the doorway to let several lighting crew get by her. ‘I was right, you know. Niall had accidently flattened his hair. There’s just something about the morning that makes it harder for you boys not to mess up my work. Now gimme, gimme, I need tea.’ She made grabby hands at the stack of paper cups.
Harry just handed her his own instead, realising he wasn’t going to drink any.
‘Thanks, darling, is that for me? Morning Katie.’
‘Morning, you alright?’ Katie’s phone started ringing and she stepped away. ‘Hang on, let me grab this.’
‘The funniest thing happened before,’ Lou said. ‘I was doing Niall’s hair and he fell asleep right on the stool, the doll, but when I woke him up after I was finished, he looked like he had no idea where he was. I’ve never seen someone look that disoriented after just falling asleep for a minute or two. It’s a pity we didn’t film it actually.’
Her words slid thickly into Harry’s head, slowly building up to make sense. ‘Niall.’
‘What? Yes, Niall, that’s what I said. Gosh, you’re slow today.’
Harry turned away without another word, making right for the main corridors. He followed them swiftly, peering in and out of the rooms he past, hoping to stumble across one with-
He turned into a guest room with a wide-screen telly and game system set up, his gaze instantly going to the blue couch where a boy slept.
‘Liam.’ Harry fell to his knees next to the couch, running his hands over Liam’s broadened and filled out chest and up to his face, edged with scruffy stubble. ‘Liam, wake up. Please come on. Come on, mate.’
Liam’s eyelids squeezed tighter for a moment before opening. His face slackened in surprise as his eyes focused on Harry’s face. ‘Harry? You look-oh my God, are we back?’
Harry laughed. ‘Liam! Oh fuck, it’s you. My Liam.’ He curved his hands around the back of Liam’s head as the bother boy’s arm came up possessively around his back and they locked together in a hard kiss. Harry pressed all his relief into Liam, and Liam pulled Harry down tighter against him.
A startled noise a moment later had Harry pulling abruptly off the shiny red of Liam’s lips and they both turned around.
Zayn, looking incredibly tanned and amazing with his hair pushed high and fine dark eyeliner framing his eyes, stared at them from the doorway. ‘Is it you?’ Zayn croaked. ‘Are you actually-’
‘Zayn.’ Harry leapt up and grabbed him. ‘Oh my God, man. Fuck.’
Zayn caught him easily and stole Harry’s breath ruthlessly, his mouth fighting to own all of Harry’s. He pulled off only to haul Liam in and Harry watched them kiss too, before Zayn finally stopped for air and pressed his forehead to Liam’s. ‘Why weren’t you here before?’ he accused him breathlessly.
Liam looked confused. ‘I just woke up, I don’t know what’s going on! Where are we? Where are the others?’
‘We’re in America again,’ Harry said. ‘We have a concert to perform soon.’
‘A concert?’ Liam boggled. ‘But I don’t even remember getting here at all?’
‘You were in the car with me,’ Zayn said. ‘I woke up there, but you were like-different.’
‘As if he’d never gone back to the X Factor?’ Harry asked.
‘Yeah exactly. You were like... as if time had always continued normal for you. Scared the crap out of me, actually.’
‘I think we must have been like that too for a bit,’ Harry said. ‘When I woke up here, I was basically already dressed, but I don’t remember getting up or like, having breakfast.’
‘Well, I’m just happy you’re both here now,’ Zayn said, squeezing them both tighter against him. ‘Do you reckon that Louis and Niall might…?’
‘They will,’ Harry said, hoping it was the truth. ‘Niall may be back right now, I was on my way to find him when I saw Liam.’
‘Let’s find him then, come on,’ Zayn said, pushing them impatiently through the doorway.
They hurried through the main corridors, weaving around stage and management crew until they reached some stairs leading down to the lower studios backstage. ‘Have you really been here since breakfast?’ Liam asked Harry as they came off the stairs.
‘Yeah. Why?’
‘Seems a bit weird that we’re coming to so far apart from each other this time. I mean, fine we woke up in weird places last time at boot-camp too, but we all woke up around about the same time. There’s got to be hours difference between us this time.’
‘Yeah, I don’t-’ Harry’s breath halted completely as his gaze fell on Louis standing on the other side of the room.
The older boy was texting tint the corner, his eyes focused on the glow of his screen and Harry felt a sickly disappointment weigh him down inside that Louis clearly still hadn’t changed.
‘Niall!’ Zayn drew Harry’s attention to where the Irish lad sat alone on a plastic chair, his arms hugging himself.
Niall turned just as they reached him, his eyes starkly blue against his too pale skin, right before Zayn and Liam wrapped him into a double hug. Harry threw himself onto them too, causing all four of them to tumble the chair over and crash into a pile on the ground.
‘But you weren’t-?’ Niall said to Liam. ‘You were here before messing around with Louis and neither o’ you remembered.’
‘I only just woke up to Harry, back there on the sofa,’ Liam said. ‘I’m so sorry, Niall. God, I don’t know why we’re all waking up at different times. Sorry for making you worry.’
Niall shook his head. ‘It’s okay. Maybe it’s because we went to sleep at different times.’
‘Oh! Yeah, that’s a thought,’ Liam said, wiggling about to look at Harry beneath him. ‘It must be that. Last night, Harry, when you fell asleep in the car, we couldn’t really wake you up. Louis said to just let you sleep, so we carried you inside. Maybe that’s why you woke up hours before.’
‘You’re right,’ Zyan realised. ‘Cause the rest of us went to supper, right? And Niall went for a shower as I turned in.’
‘That’s right,’ Niall nodded.
‘But, why hasn’t Louis changed then?’ Harry asked in a small voice.
Liam frowned. ‘He… he couldn’t sleep. We stayed up talking later than you guys, because he said he couldn’t stop thinking about everything, and he was kind of upset about, well.’ Liam hesitated.
‘About what?’ Harry asked.
‘Oi, lads, you best be off the floor before Teasdale sees you,’ Louis called, eyeing the group of them. ‘She’ll throw a right fit otherwise.’
‘Um, he’s right. Everyone up,’ Liam said after a pause.
They untangled themselves and got to their feet, surreptitiously avoiding looking at Louis as they stuck together.
‘Interview in fifteen minutes boys!’ Paul called from the near the entranceway of the lower corridors, and Harry hadn’t even noticed the man standing there with the venue managers.
He wondered if it would be weird if he just went up and hugged the man, but then got up to do it anyway. Niall dashed in front and got there first though, jumping on Paul and hanging onto the man in a limpet-like hug.
‘Oof, what’s got into you four?’ Paul huffed, as Liam and Zayn both joined in, making the man stagger under all their weight.
‘Just showing our realised appreciation for you,’ Harry said.
‘Well, can you realise your appreciation some other time, I’m busy.’
Over Paul’s shoulder Harry saw Louis watching them, a small frown on his face.
1D
The pointy-faced interview woman asked a barrage of questions, most of which Niall got stuck answering since he was the closest to her. Liam and Zayn dropped comments here and there, but Harry was watching Louis with bated breath.
The older boy had been weirdly restrained as the interview had been set up, like he’d sensed something was off with how the other four were interacting, and that he wasn’t a part of it. He stood with his hands in his pockets for the first five minutes of the interview, wearing a polite expression on his face, when usually Louis would have been all over Zayn and Harry next to him, or making noises with Liam.
As the interview continued though, Louis’ started to sag to the side, his head nodding forward a little. Harry acted on instinct, putting a hand on the small of Louis’ back to support him, and Louis responded automatically, putting his own arm around Harry’s waist and half slumping against Zayn. Louis’ head drooped again, his eyes closing in long blinks before he raised his chin, struggling to stay awake.
‘Can you tell me what it’s like to be on touring the States again?’ the woman asked, and as Liam trotted out a suitable answer, Louis’ grip slackened on Harry’s hip, his eyes slipping shut. His face relaxed into sleep, his mouth in a soft line as he rested his head on Zayn’s shoulder.
Harry looked back at the interviewer now talking to Niall again, and at her camera crew; the bored man holding the sound boom chewing on gum as he looked on, and the man half-kneeling behind the camera. Neither of them had noticed Louis yet, and Harry tried to edge in front of the older boy, blocking him off from the lens.
‘And are you enjoying this tour more or less than your last one?’
‘Oh, more definitely,’ Liam said, looking around at them for their support.
Harry murmured his answer, more concerned with how Katie was frowning from where she stood by the back wall. She leant over to whisper something to Paul and the large man looked up, scanning the line of boys and stopping on where Harry was blocking Louis.
Paul raised his eyebrows in reprimand, gesturing for Harry to step back again.
‘Hold up,’ the interviewer said, leaning forward and aiming a long finger at Louis. ‘Is that one asleep?’
All the boys fell silent, looking around as one at Louis.
‘He is, he’s asleep!’ the pointy-faced woman said in delight.
Harry shared the anxious energy destroying him on the inside, with Zayn as they met each other’s eyes. Carefully, Zayn moved his shoulder and eased Louis up, cupping the back of his head with one hand and making sure he didn’t fall forward with the other.
‘That’s Louis isn’t it? Did someone have a bit of a late night?’ the woman laughed, her camera man moving to get a close shot of Louis waking up.
Coming to with a deep inhale and a jerk, Louis’ eyes opened and he blinked sleepily, staring at Harry uncomprehendingly for a second.
The interviewer laughed again. ‘Are you okay there, son? Do you need a pillow?’
Louis’ mouth opened and his head whipped around, his grip going frighteningly tight on Harry’s waist.
‘He’s alright,’ Zayn said. ‘We just had a long night yesterday.’
‘Yep, he’s fine. Aren’t yeh, Lou?’ Niall nodded encouragingly.
‘Uh,’ Louis said tentatively, voice soft. ‘Yeah, sorry about that, lads. Don’t know what happened.’
Harry huddled closer as Zayn wrapped his arm around Louis’ neck, both of them sandwiching Louis between them. He clutched back at them, his eyes skittishly moving around the room and his pulse fluttering too fast where Harry could feel it.
Harry wanted to cuddle him in closer and kiss him until he didn’t have that look on his face anymore, but there were all these people looking on. The interview dragged on, the lady asking increasingly annoying questions like, what would suave thing would Harry say to a girl if he wanted to woo her, and Harry didn't even know what he replied, mumbling out something he hoped was what the interviewer wanted. Even Niall began to give short answers as the woman continued to press questions.
At last, management gave the signal for them to wrap it up, and they did so gratefully, each shaking the lady’s hand quickly and stepping off to the side of the camera.
‘Louis.’ They converged on him.
‘Mate, please,’
‘Lou,’
‘You gotta be back.’
‘Oh my God,’ Louis said faintly, staring at them all.
‘Boys,’ Paul’s deep voice interrupted. He and Katie approached the boys and Paul shook his head as he looked at Louis. ‘Honestly, Tommo.’
Louis watched him like he wasn’t sure the man was real. ‘Sorry, boss?’
‘Okay. You’ve got a little bit of time before you have to get ready to go on,’ Katie said, tapping something into her blackberry. ‘So don’t wander off too far and don’t-are you listening? Liam? Harry?’
‘Yeah,’ Liam said quickly.
Harry pulled his eyes from Louis.
‘Come on, focus please,’ Paul said. ‘You know the drill. Don’t mess up your clothes or your hair. I need you behind the stage in ten minutes and getting your in-ears actually in, okay?’
They agreed hurriedly and moved away from the team. Banding together, they squeezed by the crew and out through the lower corridors, running into more people everywhere they turned. Some paused as they realised who the boys barrelling by them were, and Harry begun to get frustrated as the clawing urgency inside him grew.
‘Hey, over here,’ Niall said, opening a door to reveal a, thankfully empty, small room with a door on the other side and salmon lounges opposite a tank of spring water and foam cups.
They fell inside, Harry shutting the door firmly as Liam tackled Louis onto the couch, Zayn and Niall following and leaping on him, touching him everywhere they could get.
‘Hi, hi,’ Louis said, laughing.
‘It’s you, ‘Niall said burying his face into Louis’ shoulder.
‘It is,’ Louis agreed smiling. ‘Hi.’
‘God, that was so weird,’ Liam said. ‘Please don’t ever do that again.’
‘I won’t if you tell me what’s going on because I have no bloody clue. Are we all back in the future then?’
‘We’re back in America, yeah,’ Zayn said. ‘You were the last one to come back.’
‘Or forward, technically,’ Liam added.
‘Was I? What can I say, I’m fashionably late.’
‘Idiot,’ Niall said fondly and Louis laughed and squirmed as Liam dug his fingers into the older boy’s side.
Louis’ gaze fell on Harry still standing by the door, and his smile faded away. ‘Harry?’
Harry stepped forward, walking right up until he loomed over the four boys. Louis resignedly looked back at him, his eyes dulling his eyes to an odd grey. Harry didn’t know what the older boy was waiting for him to say so he said the only thing he could think.
‘I love you.’ Harry crawled forward onto Louis lap, wrapping an arm around his head and kissing his eyes, and cheeks and lips. ‘I love you. I love you.’
Louis gaped up at him. ‘What? You what?’
‘I’m in love with you. Love all of you. Always.’
‘But-’ Louis pushed his roving kisses away, still looking shell-shocked. ‘Wait, I thought you didn’t want this anymore.’
Harry pulled back. ‘Not want it?’
‘You said you wanted for all of this to have never happened,’ Louis explained weakly. ‘For us to have never happened.’
‘Not this, I don’t.’ Harry took the boy’s face between his hands. ‘Louis, I’m so in love you, I can’t even think beyond it.’
‘I’m.’ Louis smiled, looking like he was about to cry. ‘I’m in love with you too.’
They came together, trading long kisses, barely pausing to breathe in between.
‘Aw, aren’t you too absolutely precious,’ Liam said, and Harry laughed at how genuine he sounded.
He pulled off to kiss Liam too. ‘Love you, Liam.’
‘Love you, Haz.
‘Love you a million times,’ Niall said, pecking both Louis and Harry on the cheek, and waving at the two he couldn’t reach. ‘Love you, Zayn. Love you, Liam.’
‘Wow, this is a lot of love going around,’ Liam said.
‘Everybody love Niall.’ Louis cried, rolling over and making Niall shout as he was squashed.
Liam shifted over, tickling Louis again under the pretence of saving Niall, even though Louis’ wriggling and slapping at Liam was actually making things worse for the blonde boy crushed beneath them. Zayn and Harry went to help, and the five of them made so much noise over the next few minutes, that they didn’t notice the lady trying to get their attention until her third call.
‘Boys, your manager wants you back.’
Still giggling, they fixed themselves up and straightened their clothes, sticking close together as they followed back through the corridor. Whispering to one another and laughing, they got themselves ready to go on stage, the familiar roar or the crowd sending thrills through their blood.
‘God, this is going to be the worst performance we’ve ever done,’ Liam said with a nervous laugh. ‘I can hardly remember the way the set list goes.’
‘Nevermind, we’ll get through it and you’ll do great,’ Harry said into Liam’s short hair.
‘Do you think anyone will notice,’ Louis said, fixing the black sound box to the back of his trousers. ‘About us?’
‘Maybe,’ Harry answered. He wondered how it would go, if their fans would see a difference in them, if their families and friends would, but he slipped his hand over Louis’ anyway, Louis palm turning over instantly and fitting snugly inside Harry’s.
Louis raised his eyebrow. ‘If you keep holding my hand they will definitely notice.’
Harry shrugged smiling. ‘Don’t want to be anywhere else.’
Louis covered his own face. ‘Oh God. Oh, that was so sappy, I can’t believe some people think you’re suave.’
‘Hey. I can be very suave.’
Niall and Liam overheard and hooted with laughter at him.
‘I can!’
‘Boys, it’s time,’ Paul said. ‘Go stand in your places.’
They moved towards the roaring cheers of the crowd, and as Harry listened to the other boys’ laughter in the dark of the backstage around him, he thought that he could never want or wish for anything more than just this.