Who are you?

prologue

"Best song ever... it was the best song ever..."

"Goodnight London!"

The boys of One Direction had finished yet another successful night of performing, and Louis Tomlinson could say with full honesty that while he enjoyed himself, he was tired. As hard as it was performing, it was also hard to see everyone have more solos, more fans cheering for them, etc. 

"Hey babe, good job tonight," Harry Styles said to Louis, wrapping an arm around his back as they kept walking. Harry was Louis' boyfriend of nearly three years, and Louis loved Harry more than anything. Harry was a romantic sap, he loved the little things Louis would do, and his sense of humor was adorable. 

"You too Haz. Everyone loved ya," Louis said with a smile. Harry chuckled and gave him a quick peck on the lips before running up to meet with Zayn and Niall. 

Louis sighed. He didn't know how his boyfriend had so much energy after dancing around all night. He didn't know how any of them had that much energy after dancing around all night. He was jealous, honestly. They all seemed to have much more fun together, to a point where Louis sometimes wondered if he was needed. 

Niall, while he didn't get as many solos, made up for it by his charming personality. Everyone loved Niall, it didn't matter who they are. Niall was just that lovable. Liam was the most dedicated to the group. He was the one to keep everyone in check, keep them all alive. Zayn carried all the powerful notes that nobody else can hit, and he also looked like a greek god. Literally. Then there was Harry, which,  in Louis' totally unbiased opinion, had the voice of an angel. He genuinely believed Harry's voice could cure cancer, it was just that amazing. He had an amazing stage presence, and made sure the fans were always comfortable around him. 

Louis was just... Louis. He had a high pitched voice, his body wasn't all that, and he wasn't usually the first choice for the fans. 

"Hey mate, you alright?" A voice cut through his train of thought. Louis looked to see Liam walking with him. 

"Yeah, just exhausted after tonight," Louis said, putting on a smile. Despite all his negative thoughts, he still had fun whenever he was performing. It was just a lot, and after three years of being put under everyone else, it was hard for him to stay positive.

"I feel ya mate," Liam said as they approached their dressing room. "These shows, they take a alot out of you. Especially after sleeping on a bus most nights."

"Very true, Payno," Louis said, as he walked over to his changing area. Liam seemed to get the memo that Louis wanted to change and leave, so he went over to his own area. 

Once the curtains were shut, Louis pulled off his shirt and suddenly felt a pair of arms around him. 

"I didn't hear you come in Haz," Louis said with a smile, leaning into the taller man's chest. 

"You seemed to be in your own world, you didn't even notice me waiting for you," Harry said softly, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You doing alright?"

Louis closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yeah, just a little exhausted after tonight," he said, and Harry hummed, an indication that he knew Louis wasn't being entirely honest. 

"There's more," he said softly, running his hands up and down Louis' chest. Louis sighed. 

"Harry, I need you to be honest with me," Louis said quietly, and he could hear Harry's heartbeat quicken. 

"Okay," Harry said, exaggerating the ay out. 

"Do you think I'm important to the band?" 

Harry quickly spun Louis around and leaned down so their eyes were level. 

"Louis William Tomlinson, why on earth would you ask that? Of course you're important," Harry said with full confidence. Louis let out a sigh. 

"I just... I guess the fans don't seem to like me as much as they like you, or Liam, or Zayn or Niall. They think my voice is too high and it doesn't work with the rest of yours," Louis quietly admitted. Harry pulled him into a hug. 

"I never want you to think that you're not important, boo. You add the perfect harmony to every song, the fans adore you, and One Direction wouldn't be the same if we didn't have someone to pull pranks on Paul and Liam," Harry said before placing a kiss on his head. 

"I love you," Louis softly said. Harry hummed. 

"Why don't you get changed so I can walk you back to the bus?" Harry suggested, and Louis let go with a soft smile. 

"Alright, you staying?" Louis asked, and Harry laughed. 

"No, if I stay then the rest of the boys will get impatient," he said, and Louis laughed. 

"Fair enough. Get going then, I'll meet you at the bus," he said, and Harry left, giving him one last kiss before doing so. Louis watched him go to the other side of the curtain and smiled. He really does have the best boyfriend ever. 

---

The bus was quiet, and Louis couldn't sleep. Lately, his mind kept reeling about how much better the band would be without him, and it was getting harder to ignore. If the fans didn't want him in the band, and Simon never gave him solos, would the band really sound as good?

He couldn't do this tonight, he needed to actually sleep. Getting out of his bunk, he snuck over to Harry's bunk. Judging by the soft snores, he knew that Harry was asleep, so he had to be careful. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't careful enough. 

"Babe, what's up?" Harry asked with a tired rasp. Louis sighed, settling into the tight space next to Harry. 

"Can't sleep," he mumbled, closing his eyes. Harry kissed the back of his head. 

"You okay?" he asked. Louis nodded. 

"Same shit every night," he quietly said, and Harry sighed. 

"I'm sorry baby," he slurred, before his breaths evened back out. Louis cuddled closer to him, knowing that Harry wouldn't let him think anything bad about himself. 

With that last thought, Louis finally let sleep take over. 

---

Louis was immediately disappointed when he woke up alone. Normally when he snuck into Harry's bunk, Harry would stick around until Louis woke up or vice-versa. 

"Harry?" Louis drawled out in a tired voice, barely opening his eyes. He immediately felt more awake, however, when he noticed he wasn't where he was supposed to be. 

Looking around, he realised he wasn't in a hotel. He knew exactly where he was. He was in a way-too familiar room. His childhood bedroom. 

"What the fuck?!"