365 . larry stylinson fanfiction

chapter 3

Day 54: Exhaustion

As you’re aware, I’ve stayed closer than ever with the boys the past three days. I attended every concert and lounged backstage, eating complementary cheese squares and writing posts for you, and I am BEAT. I don’t know how they do it. I’m taking a break tomorrow and that means – gasp – no post. I’m sorry. I know I’m not supposed to skip on days where things are actually happening. I’m only human. And as a human, that means I’m going to get super trashed after the show tonight and then sleep for about fourteen hours.

“Are you done with that yet?” Aiden demands. “Stop being boring.”

“Stop being a douchebag – oh wait, you can’t.” Louis slips his phone in the pocket. He’s in the van with them, on the way to the show. Harry tried to claim the seat next to him, but Aiden pushed between them. Louis keeps shifting away and Aiden keeps scooting closer. When he puts his arm around Louis’ shoulders, Harry seems to shrink. Louis feels sorta terrible.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Louis demands.

“Just being friendly,” Aiden shrugs. He doesn’t mean it like Harry did that first night. He means it like a dirtbag.

“C’mon, A, stop,” Liam says from the other side of the car.

Exaggeratedly innocent, Aiden removes his arm. Louis gives Liam a thumbs up and smiles. Liam seems a little dazed by his smile, which is flattering beyond belief, and Louis looks out the window to hide how pleased he is.

He stays vaguely out of the way usually. The boys go one way and he hangs out with the crew. One of the bodyguards specifically is pretty cool; Paul lets him hang out and snark with him. But tonight, Harry puts a hand on his arm. “Stay with us. Please?”

“Am I allowed?” Louis says doubtfully.

“If we want you to, yeah. C’mon, please.” Harry gently starts nudging him along after the rest of the boys. “Please please please?”

“Jesus, okay, yes.” Louis shrugs off Harry’s hands.

They’re barely inside the building when a team of people ambush the boys. Lots of bluetooths – blueteeth? – and headsets and clipboards. Louis is kind of annoyed, but Harry sticks next to him as kind of a human shield. Liam and Niall are a bit oblivious. Aiden and Zayn are the ones being talked at most, and while Aiden seems annoyed, Zayn looks like he’s keeping track. He listens until the person is done and nods or answers, then takes on the next. Louis is impressed.

“What are they saying?” Louis asks in an undertone.

“Directions for tonight. Clothes and stuff. And they’re telling him what we have to do, like autographs before the show or whatever, y’know. They kinda take care of that stuff, so we don’t all have to worry about it.”

“Why do they do it, though?”

“Because our management is a little tough to deal with sometimes. So Zayn does it so us three don’t have to, and Aiden says he’s the leader of the band, so he does some stuff too, I guess.”

“Hey,” someone barks, pointing at Louis. “Who’s he?”

“He’s the reporter with us for the year,” Liam says. “He’s shadowing us.”

The lady still seems skeptical. “We’ll need to review your post about the night before it goes out,” she says.

“Sure,” Louis nods. “Fat chance,” he mutters when she turns away.

Harry giggles. “It’s okay,” he says. “They just don’t want you to write about how many dick jokes we tell. Or about how Niall has a pre-show pint. Or Zayn’s spliff. It’s really not that interesting.”