Light Years

Management's Repair

"Well, you've heard it here first! Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles of One Direction are a couple!" Ms. Holland grinned at the crowd with an astonished look on her face.

I tried to keep the smile on my face as Harry's hand trembled in mine. I had just fucked us both over and I wanted nothing more than to just take the tension away from Liam. He was a mess and he needed help. He would have created a distraction for one of us if we needed it. I sucked at creating distractions under pressure. That's why he was always the one to do it. When I did things, they ended up like this.

The crowd was silent for awhile before a small flitter of surprised applause echoed through the studio. After that, the interview continued in a bit of shattered silence. Zayn and Niall were the only ones who were able to answer any of the questions and if any were directed at the other three of us, they would merely answer for us.

"Unfortunately, that's all the time that we have for today. It's been lovely having you boys. Best of luck on your tour! We hope to have you around again soon!" Ms. Holland grinned at us before cheesily grinning at the audience who clapped us right off the stage.

Harry's stare was glued to his shoes as we stood before the representative from Modest Management. It killed me to think that I had been the reason that he was so down.

"Lou..." Liam piped up for the first time that day. "You didn't need to do that for me..." he whispered out. His normally strong voice was broken and vulnerable.

This whole situation was giving me a headache. "But, I did. Maybe I didn't need to blurt out what I did but... Harry and I would have had to tell everyone eventually..." I tightened my grip on Harry's cold hand and pulled a smile on my face. I had no idea how Liam did this sort of thing, this being smiley faced all the damn time. No wonder he broke so easily. It was like the flood gates burst open.

Hippo leaned down to Harry and began to murmer something but I quickly pulled my Harry away from him. The rep pointed at me with a glare evident on his face, "You and I will be having a discussion before the concert tonight. You will fix this."

That made me mad. That made me terribly, terribly mad. "Fix this? Nothing's broken!" I nearly shouted at him.

He gripped my sleeve and dragged me out to the car. The other boys followed close behind.

The girls crowded outside were screaming about the fat ass gripping my arm needing to let go. For once, I really loved those girls. Why couldn't management see that they would all accept us? This wasn't the stone ages, there were things around in this day and age that protected and supported people like us.

"Love is love!" a boy shouted from somewhere in the crowd just as the rep pushed me into the car.

"That's right!" Niall yelled back at him with a grin on his face, before the rep grabbed the back of his hood and dragged him inside. He purposefully pushed Niall into the backseat with me, knowing that Harry wouldn't want to squeeze in between.

Harry, Liam, and Zayn climbed in after us. For the first time in a while, Liam sat in the back with Niall and I. Maybe he didn't want to have to sit next to the rep in the front. Harry sat in front of me with Zayn. I wanted more than anything to reach out and to carress his curls, to comfort him, to be his stronghold... I bowed my head away from the windows view as my anger faded to defeat and the tears began to stream down my face.

I had fucked up. I had fucked up so bad.

A hand rested on my shoulder and I tilted my head so I could just barely catch a glimpse of who it was. Harry's cheshire cat smile grinned down at me from where he had turned in his seat. "Nothing to worry yourself with Lou... Although, I'm scared... I know that we'll be okay. I've got you and you've got me no matter what," he spoke softly to me so that he wouldn't get the angry rep's attention.

I brought his hand down to me and held it carefully, afraid that at any moment he might break and disappear from my grasp.

Paul drove us to the airport with the rep beside him and all of us sitting in an unsettling quiet. Harry's hand never left mine although I was sure that the position he had to sit in was fairly uncomfortable. "Smile lads," Paul forced a grin over his shoulder to demonstrate.

"That's right lads, smiles," Liam reiterated.

I glanced at him. Whatever fort of his had fallen down, he was working twice as fast to rebuild it. He lifted my chin ever so slightly and ran his thumb beneath my eyes. Harry squeazed my hand firmly before letting go and slipping out of the car after Niall and Zayn. Liam hoped out of the car and swung an arm over my shoulder as we walked. I watched as Niall hopped on Harry's back. There were a few fans around the entrance to the airport but thankfully they mostly just snapped pictures and kept their distance.

I was glad that our North American tour was coming to an end after this next concert... I wanted to go home. I wanted to go home to our flat in London where I could spend every hour of every day with Harry...

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We exitted the plane and I held tightly onto Harry's bags and my own. He was asleep with his arms carefully wrapped around Paul's neck and his legs hanging in Paul's grasp. Why did he have to be so cute all the time...?

Liam came up beside me with his messenger bag slung across his chest. Niall was walking in between the four of us with Zayn close by his side. The representative walked angrily ahead of us. He was like the babysitter that would never leave.

"How are you doing Li...?" I asked tiredly.

He shrugged his shoulders knowing that I wouldn't really believe anything other than miserable, "I've been better... I just know that there's more than what she's told me and I just want the chance to sit down and talk to her, you know? I mean... I was going to ask her to marry me... I was positive that she would've said yes up until yesterday."

I nodded my head sheepishly, "I'm sure when we get back to London that she'll be up for a chat."

"I know... Thank you for what you did today, although, it was a bit foolish," he smiled at me a little weakly.

I did my best to smile back, "I know you would have done it for us and that you have done it for us."

"You reminded me about who I am and what I need to do... I'm not weak and somebody has got to keep you twats in line," he pinched my cheek and I let out a laugh.

"You can't be strong all the time Li," I pinched his nose.

He quickly swatted my hand away, silly nose breather, "I know that. I'll allow one weak day a year."

I snickered at him before lifting his purple wrap covered hand so that he could see it, "I might allow a few more days instead of just one. Who knows what you'll break next time."

He rolled his hazel eyes at me, "Concerts in two hours..."

"Hush, hush. I know," I grinned at him.

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The concert went as well as it could have been. There were alot of questions about Danielle, Liam's cast, and there were a few shouts about Larry being real. We weren't allowed to talk about my comment on the morning show, we weren't allowed to touch each other in any manner, and we most certainly weren't even allowed to be on the same side of the stage at the same time. It broke me a little. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. I hoped to whatever higher power that was listening to my thoughts that this would be the end of our short suffering.

I wanted to be with Harry. I wanted to be with Harry in every way possible and we had worked too hard to give up what we had with each other.

Immediately after the show, we were ushered back to our hotel. "Louis, I need you to come with me," the representative placed a hand on my shoulder as I got out of the van with the other boys.

"It's late you can talk to US in the morning," Harry growled a bit angrily. He was tired and admittedly we were all knackered but... I needed to handle the mess I made.

"It's alright, Harreh," I forced a smile at him. He didn't buy it for one second. "I'll be up in a bit, promise," I fluffed up one side of his curls so that they were lopsided.

His green eyes watched my face nervously as the other boys tried to process the situation. "Alright... If I find you at the bar counter I'll be mad," he finally mumbled after a moment.

He thought that badly of this situation...? Did I look like I was bothered that much...? I was but... I wasn't that weak anymore, I had Harry to drown myself in if I needed to. I gave him a smile and waved at the other boys as they got into the lift.

The rep pulled me to an empty table in the very back of the lobby and set his laptop in between us on the table so that I could see his screen. "The way were going to fix this situation is very simple," he began.

I gripped the fabric of my chinos and watched as he pulled up his email.

"You have to break up with Harry," he stated firmly as he pulled up the email from the main office of Modest Management.

Break up with Harry? It felt like my heart was stopping in my chest. Correction, my heart stopped in that moment.

I slammed my fists on the table as I stood, "That is the biggest load of shit I have ever heard!"

A few people turned to glance at us from the check in desk further away from us. He grabbed the side of my coat and dragged me back down into my seat. Soon after, he yanked my hood over my head.

"Don't you dare get pissy with me. I will not take that for something that was your mistake. This is how we've decided to fix this," he growled. "Or, you will have to deal with a girlfriend that we provide for you."

I ripped his hand off of me, "I will not break up with him! I love him!" I didn't even want to address the second half of his offer. I couldn't do that to Harry.

"Love?" he scoffed. "That's disgusting. You don't have a choice in this, and you will make your break up in public. Make a scene, I don't care. You have the next three days to break up with him. I want none of the other boys to hear of what you've been told until then. Do you understand me Tomlinson?"

In public? I had to break the boy I loved in public...? My mind raced. I wouldn't do it. He couldn't make me. I stood from the table and slammed his laptop shut before walking toward the lift. I made it half way there before I turned on my heel and trudged back to the table. "If... If I agree to the girlfriend... Can I still be with Harry...?" I whispered out sadly.

He leaned back in his chair carefully assessing me, "Not out in public and you'll have to follow the same rules from the concert tonight. Deny, deny, deny. We will also have to have a press conference. You will have to say it was a joke of sorts, a prank."

I felt the tears beginning to well in my eyes, "You won't make Harry do anything right...? Just me?"

"It would be more realistic if both..." he began.

"I'll do anything you want... I'll take the fake girlfriend... I'll spend time with her... I'll deny Larry in all that it is... I'll let you use my twitter to make it even more official... Just please... Leave Harry out of this..." I felt the tears spill down my cheeks as I held out my hand to him.

He stood with that smile that I hated so much as he shook my hand firmly, "As soon as we get back to London, I'll have it all laid out for you."

I pulled my hand from his grasp and ran for the lift.

I made it to the third floor... the pub.

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It was nearly midnight and Lou still hadn't appeared in our room. I paced the floor heavily. He had started his talk with the rep around three hours ago. There was no way that they were still talking... Niall and Zayn were asleep on the pull out couch besid the twin bed where Liam sat with what remained of his electronics: his shattered Iphone.

I stood and pulled on one of Lou's hoodies.

"Going somewhere Harry?" Liam asked as he looked up from what I assumed was twitter.

"I need to find Lou... I bet I know where he is..." my mind drifted to Lou drinking back at the cabin when he would hardly even look up from his drinks long enough to live his daily life.

Liam slid from the bed and slipped on a pair of shoes, "I'll go with you..."

I didn't bother trying to tell him no. Helping us, helped Liam get back into his normal living.

We walked quietly out of the room and took the lift down to the third floor. My heart ached. If Lou was there then what management had said was brutal. I hoped with everything I had that I wouldn't catch sight of his head bowed over a row of empty glasses and bottles. I hoped with everything I had that my Lou was okay.

The lift doors opened and we trailed down the hallway to a dimly lit area with a few tables and a bar top. My heart broke when I caught sight of his feathered hair at the bar counter. His thin shoulders were haunched as he leaned on the counter. The bartender was trying to talk to him but it didn't look like he was listening.

"Louis..." I whispered out as we reached his side.

His tear filled blue eyes lifted to meet my stare. "I'm so s... Sorry..." he slurred out as he bowed his head. I could clearly smell the vodka on his breath as the tears dripped down his dampened cheeks.

"Does he owe you anything?" Liam asked the bartender who merely shook his head in return.

"Lou what did he say to you...? What made you so upset...?" I ran my sleeves over his eyes.

He shook his head softly and stayed silent.

"Louis..." I repeated as his attention drifted to the floor.

"Harry, let's get him upstairs... There's no point in talking to him right now..." Liam lifted Louis from the barstool and wrapped his arm firmly around his waist to hold him up.

I joined him on his other side and helped Liam lead him toward the lift.

Flashes blinded us from pubgoers and from other residences of the hotel.

"I'm so sorry..." Louis repeated himself as he rested his head on my shoulder.

I wanted to hold him and to hum to him until his teary eyes fell shut in a peaceful sleep.

"I'm so sorry..." he echoed his words as his tears dripped onto the hoodie I borrowed from him. His arms were wrapped around Li and I so that we could properly support him. We made it to the room after a few struggling minutes.

Liam lifted him carefully onto the second twin bed, "Time for bed Louis..."

"You'll lay with me still... Right Harry?" he asked softly as Liam pulled his shoes off.

Tears dampened my eyes as I nodded gently, "Of course Boo..." I pulled off my shoes and curled into his embrace. The smell of alcohol on him was intoxicating but I didn't care in that moment. Louis needed me there.

Liam climbed into the other bed and shut the lamp off letting the room fall into darkness.

"I made everything better Harry..." I heard Louis whisper from behind me. His arm wrapped around my waist as he burried his face into the crook of my neck.

I placed my hands firmly over his hand and scooted closer to him so that my back was pressed to his chest. "I love you Lou..." I whispered.

By then, I was sure that he had fallen asleep.

A Note From Kaity: I was a little afraid of posting these chapters because of recent events but I decided that because this was fiction that it was alright.

Just to clarify. The things I write and will write in the future are matters of PURE FICTION.

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I promise this will get better :) I just have to write the inbetween chapters first.

Dedicated to mothermonster for being the lovely fan that you are. Thank you for telling me what you did, although it may have been small it really did mean alot to me. Support means the most to me, without it I wouldn't be here. xx~Kaity