New Direction [Larry Stylinson]

7: Bootcamp day 4

"You were in a bad mood yesterday, Tommo." Liam backs up Niall. "I can imagine that you have been rude to the kid."

"Did I deny that then?" Louis crosses his arms. "Look, Harry is a good kid and that's why I think we shouldn't let him get through."

"You are talking about my favourite here, Lou!" Niall's voice is outraged. Louis ignores the nagging feeling he gets when those words leave Niall's mouth. Harry was literally Louis' favourite first.

"Be honest. Harry is sweet, kind, 100 percent honest,... Do we really want to corrupt him? He is such a happy person and we all know what being in One Direction does to a person. Look at Luke..."

"Luke doesn't have anything to do with that Louis and I know it's hard for you to accept." Liam says.

"I don't see why we are taking away someone's chances if they are a possible winner. He was the best in my workshop. " Niall defends the curly boy he had started to like. "He was funny, open, honest as always and he didn't even stop performing really when my speaker went dead."

"He was pretty good at media training as well." Liam says. "I mean, he is just really charming when he speaks and his looks..."

"We get it." Louis snaps. "Why don't we just stop the show and pick Harry huh if you all love him so much. You didn't even want to let him through and now you are basically kissing his ass."

"How was his song writing?" Liam asks.

Louis huffs.

"Amazing."

"Singing?" Liam turns to Zayn.

"I mean, his voice isn't the steadiest but the sound is definitely original and pleasant to listen to. He just needs more technique."

"Do you remember what you said after his audition Tommo? You basically almost killed Liam because he said no and now you don't want to let him through because you think he is too good." Niall gives Louis a confused look.

"He doesn't deserve the pain, the lies and all the other shit we are going through. He is so pure, so happy, so innocent. I'm sorry that I want to protect an innocent kid from this world. I wished someone did the same for me." Louis' hands are shaking and tears are rolling down his cheeks. "This life messes you up and I don't want someone like Harry to get through that. You were right Liam, he is too young. We were too young as well and it messed me up!"

"But you have five years of experience, Lou!" Liam defends. "We didn't have anyone to help us because we were all new to this but Harry has four people to support him, most importantly you! You are his biggest fan, Louis. You adore the kid. What do you want? Put a jerk in our band because they deserve a bad life? We have pretty good moments too, Lou. We make a difference to so many people."

"Harry is stronger than you think." Niall takes place next to Louis and puts his head on his shoulder. "And even if he isn't, he has us to help him. I'm sure you will be the best mentor to him. If I hear you talk about him I'm sure you won't let him down. And if we see that during the rest of the week he can't keep up, or maybe even in the live shows, we can still kick him out. But now I do consider Harry as a possible finalist. What about you, Lou.?" Louis stares into Niall's blue eyes.

"I really want him to win."

--

Singing like a maniac to every One Direction song together with one of your idols? Check! Harry enjoyed the morning with Luke. It was absolutely amazing and he is such a nice person. He can see how the friendship, although Harry still thinks Louke is real, worked between them.

Now Harry just had lunch and he is on his way outside to call his boyfriend until he hears his name.

"Harry?"

Harry turns around and his heart skips a beat. There is Louis, hands in his pocket and hood over his head. He looks fluffy and so huggable.

"Yeah?"

Louis walks up to him.

"I want to apologise to you." He breathes out. "I have been very rude. But I just want you to know Harry that if it really hurt you like Niall said it did, it's only the beginning you know. Imagine you are in the band you have every single day people screaming in your face. I can't remember actually when Simon didn't scream at me or gave me a fucked up remark."

"It was not about what you said, Louis." Harry mumbles. "It's because you said it. You have always been my favourite in the band and after my audition I felt so happy that you were the one that liked it. Your opinion and guidance is very important to me and it just hurt that you snapped like that. I was so scared that maybe you changed your mind, maybe you regretted me being here because I'm not good enough..."

"I'm sorry." Louis says again while grabbing Harry's hand. "I was in a very bad mood and I shouldn't have worked it out on other people, especially not you. I want nothing more than to help you in this journey. I don't promise I will stop being a dick because I am a dick."

Harry and Louis both chuckle.

"But I promise I will do my best to give you the outcome you deserve, like I told you earlier."

Harry's mouth is a little bit open and his adoration for the older singer becomes bigger and bigger. He is in a kind of trance until he hears his phone.

"I uh..." Harry stumbles over his words.

"You should pick that up. I'll see you around Curly." Louis quickly kisses his cheek before Harry answers the phone.

"Hey sweety!" he hears a happy Josh on the other side of the line but Harry's eyes are on the smaller boy with the caramel frinch and a cigarette in his mouth, hand resting where his lips just touched Harry's skin.