Summary: A crew member is being mean to Louis, but nobody believes him.
Request from Fine_walls_28
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"The bus is leaving in ten minutes boys!" James announces. The five band members have just made it backstage after their concert, and they are all energetic.
"Sure, sure," Louis says, then plops down on the couch and chugs a small water bottle. Harry picks Louis' legs up and sits next to him, then puts the boy's legs on top of his thighs.
"Time for PDA," Liam jokes.
"We can't do this on stage, give us a break," Harry defends himself and Louis. The boys all sit together on the couches and talk about the show. However, Louis and Harry are less invested in the conversation and are more interested in each other. They quietly whisper to each other, occasionally smirking and laughing, but smiling the entire time. "We have to go now," Harry informs Louis.
"I'm gonna get my cigarettes from the dressing room, I'll meet you guys on the bus." Louis gives Harry a quick departure kiss, then jogs to his dressing room. He meanders to the coffee table where he left his pack of cigarettes, but frowns when isn't there. "Shit..." he sighs under his breath, because he doesn't feel like searching the entire room for a small package. He checks the couch, behind the throw pillows, in the empty drawers, and every other crevice in the room, all to no avail.
"Louis," James' authoritative voice sounds from the threshold of the doorway.
"I know I'm late, I just can't find my cigarettes," Louis says, still searching the room.
"We're leaving right now. Did you not hear me when I said ten minutes?" He asks with annoyance strung in his voice.
"I did, I just can't find-"
"That's not a suggestion. Be late next time and I'll tell the driver to leave without you," James warns.
"Right, I'm sorry," Louis says, then takes one last scan around the room before leaving. On his way out, James shoves Louis, causing him to stumble and nearly fall over. Louis bites his tongue instead of saying something rude, and he speedwalks down the hall to increase the distance between him and James, the inconsiderate prick.
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The bus arrives at the hotel in 45 minutes, and James and another crew member, Jack, begin unpacking luggage.
"Liam and Harry, your stuff is right there." James points to the two suitcases sitting next to the curb.
"Thanks," Liam says. He and Harry then head inside the hotel with a security guard. For some reason, there are no fans outside; maybe because they just arrived at the hotel for the first time.
"Niall, here's yours," Jack says as he pulls Niall's suitcase from the side of the bus.
"And Louis." James pulls Louis' suitcase out and harshly sets it on the ground, apparently not caring about possibly damaging it.
"Oi, you can't just drop my stuff like that," Louis says, still angry from James shoving him before.
"Nothing broke. Go inside, Louis," James says.
"I told you he's a troublemaker." Louis hears Jack say to James. Again, he bites his tongue, because he doesn't want to start an altercation and get in trouble with management.
When he makes it to his and Harry's room, he is muttering all the hurtful responses he could have said to James.
"What?" Harry says from the bathroom.
"I wasn't talking to you," Louis mumbles, then leaves his suitcase by the door and collapses on the bed.
"Everything alright? You seem stressed," Harry says, standing in the threshold of the bathroom and wearing nothing but a white towel around his hips.
"The new security guard is such a bitch," he groans.
"Which one?"
"James," Louis grumbles; even the letters of his name on his tongue disgusts the boy.
"Why do you say he's a bitch?" Harry wonders. "Come shower with me," he adds. Louis complies, then goes to the bathroom and begins taking his clothes off as he starts his rant.
"First of all, I went to look for my cigarettes before we got on the bus, then he started yelling at me and threatened to leave me next time. Then when I was walking past him, he shoved me! He also threw my luggage on the ground, which was rude."
"Are you sure he didn't just put his hand on your back a little too hard? He is quite big and you're a little..." Harry trails.
"A little what, Harry? What am I a little of?" Louis dares Harry to finish his sentence.
"Small," Harry finally says. "But that's not a bad thing, Lou. Now relax, I'm sure he isn't purposely being mean to you," he assures him, but Louis isn't convinced.
"Sure he's not," Louis sasses, then tries to forget about James as he steps into the steaming shower with his boyfriend.
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Louis thinks about his conspiracy against James only gets worse from that day on. Things died down a bit for a day or two, only because the boys weren't too busy and didn't need James around them. However, now that they're all in the airport with a delayed flight, James seems to be targeting Louis.
"Our flight is delayed for another hour. Thankfully, the airport isn't too busy, so we'll be fine," Paul informs everyone. The airport is uncharacteristically empty, but everyone is thankful for that; it decreases the chances of them getting mobbed by fans.
"Of course..." Louis throws his head back and sighs, then sits down next to Niall.
"Hiya," Niall says, playfully poking Louis' neck pillow before popping his earbuds in. Harry sits next to Louis, and Liam and Zayn go with James to get snacks.
"I just wanted to sleep with you," Louis quietly whines, starting to put his head on Harry's shoulder before forgetting they're in public.
"Sleep sleep or mile high sleep?" Harry asks for clarification.
"Sleep sleep. We did enough of the latter last night, and now I'm bloody exhausted. Plus, I'm gonna have James bullying me for no reason."
"I'm sure you're just misinterpreting things, honey," Harry calmly says.
"I'm not though!" Louis whisper yells. Harry sighs before draping his hoodie over the armrest between him and Louis, then laces their fingers together underneath it. He gently rubs his thumb on the top of Louis' hand to comfort him more.
"If you think he's being mean to you, either confront him or avoid him. Ranting to me about it won't change the situation," he whispers in Louis' ear. Then, Louis sees James turn the corner with Zayn and Liam.
"Here," Liam tosses a bag of Peanut M&Ms to Niall, then hands Louis a bag of chips and Harry a granola bar.
"Thanks," Louis says. He and Harry lift their intertwined hands and let go just as they come out from under the hoodie, accidentally making it obvious to everyone with working eyes that they were holding hands. Of course, James notices and immediately walks over to Louis.
"Really?" Is all he says, probably because other people are in ear shot.
"Sorry," Louis apologizes. James walks away, only to sit in a seat across from the couple. Louis and James make eye contact again, and James mouths you are so dumb. "Did you see that?" Louis quietly asks Harry.
"See what?" Harry wonders.
"James just called me dumb," he whispers. "Seriously, how did you not see it? He's literally right in front of us."
"Sorry, I was watching a plane take off. Louis, I love you, but please don't make James out to be your enemy. He's done nothing wrong," Harry says.
"Harry, he is my enemy. He's so mean to me. I told you he pushed me over!" Louis retorts, getting angry all over again but still trying to keep his voice low. "Of all people, you should be the one to believe me," he scoffs. Before Harry can answer, Louis goes to sit by Zayn, who is on the other side of Niall.
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After a long hour of sitting in the near empty airport, their private jet is finally ready. They all roll their suitcases to the jet, then put them in a room just past the main cabin before sitting in their seats. Louis and Zayn are the last ones on the jet; as Louis is walking past the full seats to find an empty one, he trips over something and lands on the floor with a harsh thud. When he looks behind him to see what he tripped over, he sees James retracting his foot from the aisle.
"Are you fucking kidding?" Louis incredulously says, then stands up as if nothing hurts. However, his wrist hurts and he feels like he bit his lip too hard during the fall.
"Are you okay?" Harry asks. Louis is still mad at Harry, but the only open seat is next to him.
"James tripped me, not like you would believe that, though," Louis grumbles, then sits in his seat as far away from Harry as possible. Harry turns in his seat and looks down the aisle, but he doesn't see James' foot sticking out.
"Are you sure you didn't just trip over a bag?" Harry sighs. He really wants to believe Louis, but he has not seen James be mean to anyone since he started working with them. In fact, James has been nothing but nice to Harry.
"You're gaslighting me," Louis states with tears in his eyes.
"How? Wait, why are you crying?" Harry quickly asks. He goes to hold Louis' hand, but Louis pulls away.
"Just stop. Please," Louis almost pleads. He takes a deep breath, wipes his tears, then carefully rubs his hurt wrist.
"Just talk to me," Harry sympathetically says.
"You're the one who's not listening to me!" Louis exclaims, trying to keep his voice down to avoid everyone hearing their argument.
"Before we take off, do you want something to drink?" James abruptly asks. He has a few water bottles in his arms, as if he plans on passing them out to everyone.
"Sure. Thank you James," Harry kindly says, then takes two water bottles before James moves on to the next person. "He was nice then," Harry quietly says.
"Just because he was nice once doesn't mean he's nice all the time," Louis grumbles. "But I already told you what he's been doing to me and you don't believe me, so let's just be on our own for this flight," Louis finally says, then puts his earbuds in and leans his chair back, facing away from Harry and completely shutting him out.
-
The private jet lands at the airport late at night. Louis is the first one to grab his luggage and enter the van that is going to take them to their hotel, followed by Zayn, then everyone else.
"Zayn, sit next to me," Louis says in a hushed tone.
"That seat's usually reserved for Harry," he warily says, but hesitantly complies.
"I'm sick of him right now," Louis scoffs as he is reminded of the fact that he can't trust Harry, the one person he is supposed to be able to go to with all his problems.
"How come?" Before Louis can answer, Liam, Niall, and Harry, as well as James and Paul, all start piling into the van. Out of the corner of Louis' eye, he can see Harry glance at him, like he wants to tell him something. He doesn't, and he turns back to the front and talks to Liam instead.
The ride to the hotel is quiet, but Louis appreciates that. He will have to face Harry soon, since they already booked a hotel room together. As angry as he is at Harry, he ultimately loves him too much to keep arguing.
"Here's your keys boys," Paul hands the band members their keys one by one in the elevator; Harry grabs his and Louis' room key.
"Ready?" Harry asks, though Louis isn't sure what he is supposed to be ready for; obviously they're heading straight to their rooms and going to bed.
"Sure," Louis says with an edge of snarkiness; he can't help himself. Harry ignores Louis' sassy tone and slips his hand into the older boy's, since the band and crew members are the only ones in the hallway. Louis hesitates at first, but he ends up wrapping his fingers around Harry's hand instead of letting them fall limp. Harry unlocks the door with a small, satisfied smile at this, and the couple only lets their hands fall apart when they have to roll their suitcases inside.
"Nice room." Louis observes the open space, which contains a large bed, a small living room area, and even a kitchenette.
"I'm gonna change into pajamas," Harry says.
"Kay." Louis checks out the refrigerator, which is basically empty, other than a few small water bottles. He then lies on the bed, lazily kicking his shoes off before taking a deep breath. However, he is only able to relax for a minute before he hears the door to his room being unlocked. When he looks up, he comes face to face with the Devil himself.
"What were you doing in the hallway?" James asks.
"Um, walking?" Louis sarcastically says; he is sick and tired of James targeting him for no reason.
"Right," James scoffs. "I was told that you were a troublemaker. If you can't handle something as simple as walking in the hallway without having to hold your boyfriend's hand, then I'll make sure to separate you in public so you're not temped to be so foolish."
"Is that what this is about then? You hate me because I've got a boyfriend?" Louis is now standing and sizing James up. James is a little taller than him and much bigger than him, so Louis would probably lose if they were to fight.
"You can't get away with being a dick just because a bunch of girls pay to see you sing. I was hired to keep you in line, and I plan to do just that. Now back the fuck up." James shoves Louis, causing him to crash to the ground and the air to be knocked out of his lungs.
"What the fuck is your problem?" Louis gasps for air, somehow unable to stand back up to defend himself.
"If I see you holding Harry's hand again, I will take further action. Do you understand?" James sternly says. Louis is too busy trying to get air back into his lungs and stand up, so he doesn't respond. "I said, are we clear?" James spits, forcefully pulling Louis to his feet and holding him close by his shirt collar.
"Whatever," Louis rolls his eyes.
"Are...we...clear?" For each word that James repeats, he slaps Louis across the face.
"Yes!" Louis shouts back, more pissed off than anything. James finally lets Louis go, and Louis has to use all his energy to keep himself from running after James and fighting him.
"My job is to protect you from outside people, not babysitting faggots," he says on his way out. Just as James reaches for the door handle, Harry comes out of nowhere and slams him against the door. He forcefully turns him around, then grabs him by the collar, just like he did to Louis moments before.
"Don't ever speak to Louis like that again!" Harry is all over James, towering over him and making the large bodyguard look small. "If you ever lay a finger on Louis or even look at him wrong, I will fucking kill you," he growls. Even Louis, who can count on one hand the amount of times he has seen Harry blow up like this in five years, is scared of his boyfriend in this moment.
"O-Okay," James pathetically says. Harry pulls him away from the door, opens it for him, then shoves him out so hard that James almost hits the opposing wall. Lastly, Harry slams the door, not caring that other people staying in the hotel are likely trying to sleep.
"Harry..." Louis whispers, stunned and standing frozen a few feet away from the bed. Harry visibly weakens at Louis' voice, and he quickly rushes to him. Louis flinches at first, then looks into Harry's eyes for a quiet moment.
"I'm so so sorry, Louis. Fuck...I don't know why I didn't believe you." He runs his hands through his somewhat messy hair, then cups Louis' face in his hands. Louis doesn't know what to say. He doesn't want to start another argument or justify Harry's actions, so he simply hugs the younger boy. Harry holds Louis' head on his shoulder and wraps his other hand around his torso, holding him close as if he is trying to apologize through the hug. "You know what? No," Harry suddenly says, then pulls away from the hug. He storms out of the room, and Louis feels he has no choice but to follow. Harry stomps all the way down the hall to the room Paul is in, then persistently knocks on the door until it opens.
"Harry? What are you-"
"You need to fire James," he says, entering the room without permission. Paul looks to Louis, who simply purses his lips and looks at Harry.
"Why does James need to be fired? And I'm not even in control of that, management is."
"Then you need to call management and have them fire him, because I won't do another performance until he's gone." Harry is pacing in the room now; clearly he plans on staying here until he gets his way.
"Why?" Paul asks again. "Please stop pacing." Harry listens, and finally sits down and tries to calm down.
"He's been abusing Louis ever since he got here. I didn't hear everything, but I did see him hit Louis and call him a faggot. You need to call management," Harry urgently says. Paul looks at Harry, then at Louis. He has been with the boys practically since the band began, so he feels for them and is willing to go to management for them.
"Right, I'll call them first thing in the morning," Paul calmly says. "Louis, I'm really sorry that all happened to you," he frowns.
"Thank you," Louis quietly says, not knowing how else to respond. "Harry, come on." Louis extends his hand to Harry, figuring that if he doesn't make Harry leave the room he never will. With a small huff, Harry goes to Louis, and the boys hold hands all the way back to their room.
The couple quietly gets ready for bed, only talking when they are both comfortable and under the covers.
"Thanks for sticking up for me," Louis says as he stares at the ceiling.
"Don't thank me. I didn't believe you, and I was really stupid for that. I don't know why I didn't believe you, Lou, I just don't."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, alright?" Louis turns to Harry, who has a guilty expression on his face.
"Can I be big spoon tonight?" Harry asks. "I just wanna protect you," he mumbles.
"Sure baby." Louis offers a small smile, but he feels like crying. As he turns around and feels Harry's body pressed against his and his arms wrapped around to his front, tears sting his eyes.
"I love you, and I promise I'll protect you as much as I can," Harry whispers.
"Thank you. I love you," Louis whispers back. Harry pulls Louis in closer, and the older boy eventually falls asleep. Unbeknownst to Louis, Harry stays awake until he is sure everyone in the hotel is asleep, namely James.
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I'm sick 🤒🙃
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