You You You | ORGINALLY WRITTEN BY ISTHATYOULARRY ON AO3

Chapter Eighteen: Steps Along The Way

"NIALLER! NIALLER! NIALLER!" Louis stormed into the apartment. Niall wasn't up yet it seemed and he ran to his room, yanking the door open and flinging himself on top of the sleeping body in the bed, shaking his shoulders violently.

"Louis! What the hell are you doing?" Niall cried.

"Contracts! Fucking contracts, Niall!" He waved the papers in his face.

"What are you talking about?"

"Contracts!" he exclaimed loudly. He began reciting lines from the papers. "Louis Tomlinson, boyfriend of Mr. Styles, will not be held responsible for any misfortune in the matter', 'One Direction members take full responsibility if careers were to fail because of the matter'."

Niall frowned and Louis exploded. "NIALL. This is a fucking coming out contract!"

"Wait? So why are you mad?"

"The other contract!" he shoved the other paper into Niall's face. "It basically says that the boys will get sued if I mess up! They all fucking signed it without talking to me. Harry didn't fucking tell me anything! He signed a paper that fucking says he's responsible for everything that happens! And his fucking lawyer thought it was a good idea! They all agreed without so much as a thought! Niall," he shook his shoulder. "If this goes to hell, it's all on me! I could mess up and their careers would be over and they don't care. They didn't talk to me at all, just happily signed over their lives and what if I do something to ruin this?! I can't even make breakfast how am I supposed to have three careers on my shoulders?"

"Louis, it's not on you. Calm yourself."

"I can't calm myself. I'm so fucking angry with him. He's so stupid, he doesn't think of what is good for himself. He's too... I don't know, he just takes everything on himself and just does things that he shouldn't just because he's too kind and too- God, I don't even know! It's just wrong. Wrong and unfair to him! It's unfair, that's what it is! And he gladly does it! It's not good. Unhealthy! Like drinking too much coke and your teeth get all gross. That's exactly what it's like! He takes too much on himself, he's too kind and he gives and gives and gives and he's teeth get all sugary from everyone's problems and his teeth turn gross! Do you get me?"

"Louis, are you mad at him for being nice?"

"He's too nice! It's irresponsible!"

"Lou, I'm sure he has read through that contract a hundred times and his lawyers have gone through every sentence with the boys and if he still signs, it's what he wants."

"I want- I need to get blamed too! He can't have it all on his shoulders!"

"I thought it was on your shoulders?"

"Niall, if I mess up, their lives are over," he said. "And on top of that Harry will get sued."

Niall frowned, seeing his point but, took the contracts from Louis' hands. "Let's look through these, Lou. Let's make some tea and calm down, yeah?"

"Okay," Louis said, half breathing, half crying.

They spent the next hour reading through each of the contracts. They were long and detailed and Louis and Niall wrote down every rule on a list. They went through the list and Louis said what he absolutely could not accept and they crossed out what he could deal with. They read about the coming out plan. They were to proceed by hinting at "Torry" and get the public used to the idea, like trying to increase the amount of Torry shippers. They would start off by having an interview where Harry was asked about the Keek clip and the boys would hint at a relationship going on behind the scenes.

It was all very planned out. Different steps of outings and hints until everybody pretty much knew before Harry would come clean about Louis. They would keep his identity hidden for as long as possible, something Louis appreciated immensely.