Worth Fighting For

Chapter Thirteen

Touring is easier. They don't have to deal with Simon, for one. For two, it's much easier to sneak into each other's hotel rooms or get one of the boys to trade on occasion. The bus is the best, when they can slip into Harry's bunk together, leaving Louis' for Eleanor. Because right. That's the other thing. Eleanor is with them. Luckily, she seems perfectly content to give Louis and Harry their space. But she's there. On the bus, at the hotels, at the shows, backstage. Harry tries not to let it bother him. But after the first show with her, which Harry barely made it through, he had promptly collapsed into tears in Louis arms backstage.

"It's alright, love," Louis had shushed him, rubbing the boy's back. "It's ok, you're ok."

"I- I'm sorry," Harry hiccuped, burying his face further into Louis' chest, his fists clenching his shirt. Louis' heart broke a little. Ok, a lot.

"I love you," Louis reassured him, pressing a kiss to his head. "She's my beard, Harry, nothing more. Our relationship is a contract, a piece of paper. You are the love of my life, nothing's going to change that. Ever." Harry nodded and sniffled, and Louis tightened his arms around his boyfriend and simply let him cry until he was done, silently cursing Simon with every swear word in his rather extensive vocabulary.

Now, just minutes before the next night's show, Louis watches as Harry chews on his lower lip, lightly tracing his fingers over where his Hi tattoo is, hidden under layers of makeup Louise helped them apply before every show. That's when Louis knows. Knows what he can do. What they can do. He marches over to Harry, grabbing his hand and looking straight into his eyes. Well that's not entirely accurate. There's never anything straight about the way Louis looks at Harry.

"Louis what are you-" Louis silences him with a firm kiss.

"Do you trust me?" he asks seriously, staring into Harry's wide, confused eyes. Instantly, the boy nods and Louis grins. "C'mon then." And with that, he tugs Harry into the bathroom. He grabs a pair of alcohol wipes from under the sink after a moment of rifling around. He turns back to a very confused Harry, a determined look in his eyes. Before Harry can ask any question, Louis is kissing him again, ripping open one of the alcohol wipes. He pulls away, meets Harry's gaze, and smirks before using the wipe to smudge off the concealer covering Harry's tattoo. Harry's eyes widen and he swats Louis away.

"Lou, what're you doing?" Harry demands, frowning. "We have like, five minutes before we go onstage!"

"Exactly," Louis says, before wiping away the makeup on his arm. He grins at Harry. "Not enough time for anyone to stop us."

"Louis..."

"I don't want to hide, Harry. I want people to know that I'm yours and you're mine. And maybe we can't tell them, but this. This is something we can do." And the certainty in Louis' voice is all it takes for Harry to nod and let Louis wipe off the remaining makeup. Before they leave the bathroom, Louis pulls Harry in for another long kiss, grinning against his lips. This feels good. This feels right. Louis and Harry run to their places just minutes before their cue, grinning widely. Liam notices first, eyes widening as he starts toward Louis. But there's no time, the show is starting and Harry is raising his arm to wave to the crowd, effectively showing off the tattoo. Louis' grin grows and he copies the gesture, wild screams piercing through the air. And yeah, Louis thinks as he sees the enormous smile on Harry's face, whatever the consequence, this is worth it. (It's not).

-

Two hours after the concert ended, Louis and Harry are snuggled up together in Harry's bunk, Harry lying back against Louis' chest with Louis' fingers in his boyfriend's chocolate ringlets as always. Harry's phone is opened to twitter in his hands. #LARRY is trending. So is #Hi, #Oops, and both of their names. The couple scroll through tweets, pointing and grinning at the sweet ones. Louis' hand tenses in Harry's hair at the other ones. The ones that mock them, judge them. Both boys try and hide the hurt, Harry quickly scrolling to the next one. They stay like that for a while, content and the exhilaration from their stunt still lingering.

Then Harry gets a call. Simon's name flashes across the screen and they freeze, Louis' body tensing under Harry. Harry takes a deep breath and bites down on his lip, dreading talking to the man. Louis drops his head so his mouth is right next to Harry's ear, lips ghosting lightly on his cheek, arms wrapping around his waist.

"You don't have to answer. We can ignore him, Harry," Louis says, though he knows they really can't. And Harry knows too.

"Not for long. Best to just get it over with," he whispers. As much as Louis wants to argue, he doesn't. So Harry shakes his head, takes a deep breath, and answers the call with a shaking thumb. "Hi Simon."

"Harry. Is Louis there?" Simon asks immediately, his tone indecipherable. Louis answers before Harry can.

"Yeah Simon, we're all here. Watching a film at the moment, is this important?" Harry briefly thanks god for Louis and the ease with which he lies.

"No, but I do need to speak to Harry alone for a moment. It'll be quick, I promise." Harry chews on his lip nervously as Louis' hands tighten around him.

"Yeah, alright," Harry sighs. Better to just do it and be done with it. And so, despite Louis' quiet protests of "Please don't," and "no, wait, Harry stay," and the way his eyes plead with Harry to stay, he pulls himself from the older boy's arms and walks to the lounge area of the bus, sliding the door shut. "Ok, I'm alone."

"Are you really, Harry?" Simon sounds skeptical and Harry rolls his eyes.

"Yes Simon. The boys are waiting for me, what's up?" Harry tries to keep his voice light and curious, unbothered. He's not sure how well it works.

"I need to speak to you in person. I'll be in Toronto in two days for a business meeting, I'll see you then," Simon says, leaving no room for any argument. So Harry just swallows thickly and nods.

"O-okay," he agrees, like he has any choice in the first place.

"And Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's keep this between just you and me, yeah?" Simon's voice is sickly sweet and Harry's stomach twists.

"Alright," he whispers, fear clawing through him.

"Good lad. Enjoy the movie." And then Simon is hanging up, leaving Harry alone to his thoughts. He stands there just a moment longer before taking a shaky breath and going back to Louis, who's waiting anxiously, tension written in every line of his body. He relaxes, slightly, as Harry goes immediately into his arms, cheek pressed to Louis' chest as his arms wrap tightly around him.

"What'd he want?" Louis murmurs into Harry's curls. Harry shrugs, shifting so his back is pressed into Louis, his head tucked under the older boy's chin. Louis nudges him gently. "C'mon, Haz, what did Simon say?"

"Um." Harry should tell him. He knows he should tell him. But instead, what comes out is, "He just wanted to make sure I'm ok being with you so much. Y'know. After our 'break-up' and everything." He can't do it- he doesn't want Louis to worry, doesn't want to upset him. Louis has to deal with so much already. This, Harry can handle on his own. He can tell Louis doesn't entirely believe him, but he thankfully doesn't push it. Instead, he cuddles Harry tighter as he opens back up Twitter and they resume scrolling through the tags. The tension hanging above them doesn't leave, though. Nor does the knot twisting in Harry's gut.