"This is one hell of an annoying time."

Harry sat on a blue couch in the backstage area of their concert. He had stopped counting how many there have been already. Maybe ten, maybe fifteen.

He lost track of time, like he always did on tour.

Usually it just feels good, free, happy and perfect. Well, usually.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry looked up in surprise to find someone standing in the hallway glaring through the half open door into the room.

"How did you find me?"

"Call it random or whatever." Louis walked into the room and settled himself next to Harry. Of course it had to be Louis. Always happy, loud and goofy Louis. Who else would have known, that he would go to one of the backstage rooms, when everyone else was eating diner.

"You can't resist, right?" Harry asked in a kind of annoyed way, even though he couldn't be really mad at his friend. Like he was never able to be really mad at Louis.

Not, when I was caught smoking things with Zayn, you shouldn't smoke, when you were a world wide pop star. Not, when he started out the twitter fight with Naughty Boy, that got really dirty. Not when he got separated from Eleanour, whom Harry really liked. Not, when the rumours, that Brianna was pregnant started. Not, when Louis confirmed them as true.

"Will you tell me, what's wrong with you or do we have to miss the concert?" Louis asked in a surprising kind of patient way.

"You realise, that you would miss your own concert?" Harry asked back and Louis smirked. "You would, too, cause I will lock us into this room and swallow the key, if necessary and I know you. You do not want this."

Harry sighed. Louis was impossible to resist. The way he sat there, with his legs crossed in a weird way, everyone else would find painful, his head slightly tended and a small smile on his lips.

"It's hard, you know. The way, you act on stage and the way I can't act."

Louis bit his lip and sighed himself now. "You know, that you don't have to do this. Just care a little less about what the people say."

Harry laughed but it was not really a happy laugh.

"I'm not you or Liam, I can't do this, you know that."

He ran a hand through his hair making it even messier than it was before and stood up. Walking up and down the room he thought about his problem.

Louis never really cared about the press. If he got asked, he answered, and if it was necessary in his opinion he was rude, too. He laughed about the rumours that had gotten out of control, when it came to him and Harry and the thing the fans called "Lary Stylinson".

But he agreed, when Harry wanted to keep distance in public. But actually now it seems way easier for Louis to cope with this, than Harry himself.

"No one tells you, to be distant to me or the other boys. Nobody but yourself, sweetheart."

The ironic way, Louis called Harry sweetheart, made him smile.
"Thank you, I know that, Tommo."

"Fine."

"What?"

"So where is the problem?"

"Oh for heaven's sake, do you really not understand?"

Harry wanted to rush out of the room, but Louis was faster, grabbed his arm and pulled him back on the couch.

"No calm down, Hazza. It was your decision, you can reveal it any time if it pisses you of like this." Harry hesitated. He knew, that Louis was right, but it was hard to admit.

"Just let loose. Only a little bit, I guarantee you, it's gonna be easier."

When Harry didn't answer, a evil smile appeared on Louis' face.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I can split a water bottle on you tonight."

Harry stared at his friend. "Don't you dare, Tommo", he warned him but Louis laughed.

"What do you wanna do? Throw me off the stage as revenge?"

Now Harry couldn't resist to laugh. "You so dumb", he said and Louis shot him a bright smile.

"If it makes you laugh, I'm happy to be dumb." Louis answered, now in a more silent way and winked, when Harry looked at him.

"You still think it would be easier without me?" When Louis asked this question, Harry had to swallow. He still regretted, what he had said a few days ago.

It was after one concert, when he accidentally had grabbed a flag, where the twitter post Louis had tweeted years ago, was printed on the inside. The rumours about a soon coming out had been going wild ever nice and annoyed Harry to hell.

When Louis had made a joke about it, Harry had gotten mad and told his friend, that he would be better off without him.

Louis was honestly pissed after these argument and had stopped talking to Harry ever nice this moment a few minutes ago, when he had shown up in the backstage room.

"It wasn't meant like this and you know it." Harry tried not to look at Louis who had tended his head again, watching Harry closely.

"Wasn't it?" Louis asked and Harry could hear, that he had his doubts. Harry could have slapped himself for this idiotic words, especially because all these wasn't Louis' fault at all.

"For god's sake, of course it wasn't. I would be nothing without you and you know this. You know how fucking hard it is, to ignore you on stage, even though interacting with you always came so naturally and was so easy. I want this back, but I know, that I can't and it's driving me crazy."

Louis looked at Harry, now again with a smile on his face.

"Just forget the stage, the press, the fans. You have to remember what we have. You and me. Stops thinking about all these things around us because in the end it doesn't matter."

It was one of these rare moments, when Louis was absolutely serious. No goofing, no laughing, no joking. The look he gave Harry was intense and Harry now regretted even more, what he had said before.

"Look I didn't meant to be that mean. It's just all a little too much I guess. Zayn left, you´re becoming a dad, all the rumours about us breaking up, me having affairs with several women, me being gay and whatever."

I sighed and realised, how tired he really was. Louis' facial expression changed from a smile to a worried look.

"Are you alright?", he asked and Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Can we... can't we just forget what had happened? All the fights we had, all the arguments, they make me sick. I need you. Especially right now, here, on tour with all this happening around us. I can't stand it without you."

Louis again bit his lip, than looked up. "I had no idea that all this bothers you so much, Hazza, I'm sorry", he said honestly and leaned a little forward, now smiling again.

"I might have an idea, what can make you feel better."

Harry got a little lost in Louis' warm eyes and he needed a moment to find back to reality.

"You have?", he asked, still a little dizzy and Louis laughed.

"How about we do exactly what so many fans want us to do?"

"Excuse me?" Harry raised and eyebrow, sure he hadn't understood his friend right. "Are you telling me...?" Louis' face came a little closer and distracted Harry from what he had wanted to say.

"Kissing sets endorphins fee, and this is making people happy. It's science Hazza."

Louis hand slightly toughed Harry's cheek and he got an idea of what his friend had meant when he had talked about endophins.

"You can't be serious, Tommo." It was only a weak try, to stop Louis. Stopping Louis when he had an idea, was almost impossible. Harry had learned this over the years.

For example when Louis had wanted to cook a meal, when they had lived together. He had almost burned down the kitchen.

"Shall I or not?" Louis would do it anyways. So Harry suddenly didn't really saw a reason to resist.

"Whatever", he said trying to be very cool in this situation. Louis winked at him, than he closed his eyes and Harry did the same. When their lips touched each other, gentle and warm Harry forgot about all the arguments he had had with Louis over the last month.

He was almost disappointed, when Louis leaned back and his lips lost touch with Harry's.

"What now? Do you feel better?" It was a knowing question and Harry smiled and the first time this day, it was an honest smile.

"Way better. How couldn't I?" Louis laughed and smiled at his best friend. "I miss all this, too. The interaction in public, the time we lived together, the time together in general. It became so much less the last time."

Harry got a little closer to Louis and looked at him. "How about us two spending more time together. I really need you by my side, Tommo. All this became so hard without the knowledge that you would always have my back."

"I'm sorry I made you feel this way. I never intended to do this. How could I? I love you."

Harry felt a warmth slowly stealing itself into his stomach and heart.

Suddenly Louis's lips were on his again, only short almost fleeting, than he got up.

"Come on, Hazza, we have a show to play." Louis hold out one hand and Harry grabbed it. He hold it a little longer than necessary and when Louis shot him a questioning look, he let loose.

But before he lost touch with Louis' fingers he mutterd an "I love you too."