as loud as lions (1/3). harry/louis, pg-13.

[likecharity]

Title: as loud as lions
Author: likecharity
Pairing: Harry/Louis
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: References to homophobia and gay slurs
Summary: Every few seconds there's a blinding camera flash, and it's overwhelming even for Harry so he can't imagine how Louis feels. All he can do is hold his hand, tight, like they've never been allowed to in public

Comments

[astreindre]

Finally Zayn turns up, and now that all five of them are here the atmosphere feels a little less tense. They tease him about the fact that he's got his shirt on inside out and still looks like he's half-asleep, and he settles down beside Harry and Louis and says flatly, "What've you done this time, got caught shagging in a park?"

OH ZAYN. IF ONLY YOU KNEW. I love this, how even though everything is tense they're all still making jokes and laughing at each other.

He puts a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, and Harry's heart aches. "I don't wanna talk about that part," he says. "Can we-can we just keep daydreaming?"

When I first read this line, my heart ached. Just -- ugh. I can't be coherent about it. Niall is so great, and Harry is so hurt, and it breaks my heeeeeeart.

And then like, the whole next part with Liam trying to comfort Louis and just generally being Daddy Direction is the best and the worst at the same, because it's so lovely how hard he tries, but of course I'm on Harry's side in this and it's SO WRONG to see them trying to psych themselves up to lie. And poor Louis is just a wreck and I want to give him a big hug and a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.

"Now, er," says Bill hurriedly, obviously listening to something being said into his earpiece, "you're-you're performing at Madison Square Garden soon, is that right?"

And Louis thinks no, thinks that they can't possibly be, not now, not after this, not now the world is ending.

JUST STOMP ON MY HEART WHY DON'T YOU ugh I can't -- I can't! This is so bad to Louis that it feels like the world is ending! MY FEELS, JENNY. MY. FEELS.

"Well, we'll just have to hope that people think you consider three months a long time, won't we?" says Sara, a little snappily. "Shouldn't be too much of a stretch, seeing as they've never known you to have a relationship last as long as that."

Way to make me hate a side character with just two lines, wow. That's masterful writing, right there.

They're sent home then, and Louis takes his phone out immediately once they're in the car, but Liam snatches it out of his hand.

"I need to call my Mum," Louis says in a weak voice, and Harry knows that telling her the official story isn't the main thing on his mind, knows he wants to speak to her for comfort, out of panic.

"Well, I'm not letting you check Twitter," says Liam, switching the phone off and slipping it into his jacket pocket.

Zayn catches his drift, stuffing his hand into the pocket of Harry's jeans to pull out his phone too. When they reach home, after a journey spent in tense silence, the others march right up to Harry and Louis's flat with them, heading in and gathering up their laptops.

WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS. NEVER. These boys are the best, ugh. And then I couldn't find one line succinct enough in the next two sections that I could wordvomit feels at you -- I almost took like, two whole paragraphs to say just ASDFGHJKL BOYS YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART but OH MAN THOSE LAST COUPLE OF LINES.

"You were great," Harry murmurs, slipping into bed beside Louis now. He's tired himself, emotionally exhausted as well as physically, and it feels good to slide under the covers and curl up close alongside Louis's warm body. "You were so great." He kisses Louis's shoulder. Louis is facing away from him.

"You were so much better," says Louis quickly, voice cracking.

BOYS YOU ARE BREAKING MY HEART

[likecharity]

YOUUU ARE THE GREATEST OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS. ♥

I'm really glad you liked that they were still kidding around in that first bit because I initially wrote it SUPER TENSE and it just seemed off, somehow? Because I thought, well, they don't even KNOW what's going to happen, and I feel like even if they're nervous, if they're all TOGETHER that feeling probably kind of dissipates.

IT WAS SO HARD NOT TO JUST MAKE ALL THE MANAGEMENT PEOPLE HORRIBLE. But I feel like most of them probably kind of are. And ugh I hate writing original characters in fic, like, even if they're barely in it, I always just feel awkward about it, so I'm glad that didn't really come across, haha.

The taking away the laptops and phones thing was your idea, right?? IT WAS SUCH A GOOD IDEA, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I'm glad you liked the way I wrote it. ♥