#they are carrying the entire concert recordings youtube videos industry on their shoulders

[alternativelarryaus]

Alternative Larry AU (1)

Summary: After the One Direction reunion, Harry and Louis come out in the form of a video recording.

Authors’s note: try to picture them and their accents while reading this.

2019, October 13th. After working on their solo projects and promoting their albums all around the world, One Direction had decided that it was time to go back to what they started, and tour for Made in The AM. The sun rose like any other October morning and the internet was going crazy, sharing thousands of videos of the concert from the previous night.

It had only been the third show after their reunion, barely three hours of the boys on stage, but four years of waiting meant that fans had just enough footage to fill YouTube with video compilations. Harry’s dad jokes, Niall’s laugh, signs about Louis’ bum and Liam’s dance moves were already trending, but no one knew that the world was about to burn.

The boyband had begun their journey in the city that watched them grow since early days: London. They were no longer trying to find their spot in the industry. As they were internationally popular, the days of the tour bus were over. Though they missed their bunks and hanging out 24/7, it felt nice to sleep in a comfy hotel room during their stay.

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Around 11 am, a camera started recording in room 214, showing the sleepy face of Harry Styles sitting on the edge of the messy bed. Even though he looked tired, the Christmas themed sweater he was wearing made his eyes glow. It was too early in the year for that kind of wardrobe, but the colourful suits had left no doubt that he had a unique sense of fashion. He was focused on getting the camera’s angle right, when an oddly quiet Louis sat beside him.

L: There you go, Hazz. He smiled as he handed Harry a cup of steamy tea.

Louis was also wearing a sweater, a plain grey one, clearly oversized. He looked slightly nervous, and also excited, like he was finally going to get something off his chest. A weight he had been carrying on his shoulders for way too long. Harry, however, looked more at peace, or at least more comfortable.

H: I set up the camera there, I think it’ll do. Should I start, or do you want to?

Harry wasn’t sure how Louis was feeling about this. He knew that it had been Louis’ idea to make the bold move, he wanted to make him feel safe.

L: I think they should hear it from both of us.

He took a deep breath, hoping that it would make the story telling easier. He was sure about it. Being back in London only made him feel like it was the perfect time to do it. He had pictured this moment thousands of times before, and he couldn’t believe it was finally going to happen. The thought of long wished freedom reassured him. He looked at Harry to find his eyes showing support, and so he began.

L: Hey there, this is Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles (added Harry). You may know us from One direction, and for those of you wondering: no, this ain’t one of those video diaries. Well, it kind of is, but the purpose has changed entirely. We’re here because we’ve decided to stay true to ourselves, and finally put the sh*t we’ve been dealing with out there.

Louis doesn’t even know where to start, and Harry can sense his frustration in his early swearing. It takes just one second for Harry to realise that he’s gonna have to do the hard talking.

H: We met as contestants in the X Factor, along with three other young men, who would turn our lives upside down. We need you to know that we hold this time very closely in our hearts, despite the awful lot of drama that we had to go through.

L: Our world changed. We went from a guy who played football and a guy who worked in a bakery, to worldwide known artists. We were way too young to deal with all of it.

They don’t want to verbalize it, but their faces don’t lie: the memories are marked by pain.

H: The truth is, in the middle of figuring out who we were and what we wanted to do with this new life, we found comfort in each other. Harry turns his head to look Louis in the eyes and says: We fell in love. When he turns back to face the camera, his eyes show that to this day, he is still incredibly fond of Louis.

L: Then management and the industry f*cked it all up. I remember coming back home to you, and having this bittersweet feeling I couldn’t shake off. Sure, finally getting to show my emotions towards you was- His voice broke. … It was everything. Having to hide it outside, having to wait until we were alone, I couldn’t deal with it. To be honest I don’t even know how they let us live together, seeing how much of our lives they controlled.

H: We were kids, Lou. At first, we just did what we were told, and tried to make the most of the time we did get to spend together. But, eventually, it led to us growing apart. Being 16 and hearing that loving who you love, and being who you are, is going to ruin your career… You learn to hide.

Harry makes a little pause. He’s talking even slower than he usually does, as if he’s double thinking every word he says to make sure it comes out perfect. He wants to do justice to their story.

H: I started to hide my feelings towards everyone. I preferred to think that I was a closing myself, and not that I was being forced to be someone I didn’t identify with. I guess my defence mechanism was to deny that anything was being imposed. Of course, the picture of me that the media put out there didn’t help. Getting called “the womanizer” only made me close up even more, because I knew that any interaction with other celebrities would create rumours.

L: The impact it had on me was deeper, I even tried to change who I was. I can’t believe it went this far…

Louis’ voice broke just as he finished the sentence. One of his legs was shaking. Harry put his hand on his thigh, and Louis found the strength to continue.

L: I internalized a lot of hate towards myself. I ended up believing that getting over you was the right thing to do. Hell, I even pretended to be in relationships with people I had no feelings for. They know I loved them, and appreciated my friendships with them, but I was in love with you Harry. That’s something that couldn’t be changed.

Harry had heard those words many times before, but always fearful of getting caught. There was something about Louis’ confidence saying it now, that warmed his heart in a way he’d never be able to describe.

H: Everyone noticed that we weren’t as close. We made an unspoken deal to stay away from each other, and avoid our true feelings. Right before the hiatus, I couldn’t leave things like that, unsolved, ignored. We barely spoke, but not seeing each other was a completely different thing. Having you close was more important than I liked to admit. That’s when the… how do they call it? The hug?

L: The iconic Larry hug?

They both smiled, and the mood lightened up a bit. The toughest part was over.

H: Yeah, the iconic Larry hug happened. But management was still pressing, and we still felt trapped.

L: We did consider meeting up during the hiatus, but it was too risky. The last thing we needed was drama, and more intrusion into our personal lives. Time passed, and keeping in touch was not an option anymore.

Harry’s eyes suddenly opened a bit. It seemed he had remembered something pleasant.

H: But then Liam called.

They both looked up at the camera, completely in sync.

H: Liam called and said he was ready for a comeback.

L: I feel like it was a no-hesitation moment for all of us. I remember Niall’s joy when he saw us like it was yesterday. In three days we were already all together planning the next step. We made some calls and Made in The AM tour happened.

H: I still can’t believe how we managed to get everything ready at such short notice. But yeah, rehearsals came, and suddenly we were spending so much time together.

L: Just like old times.

H: I didn’t have time to think about how we’d work together after all that time and all the suppressed feelings, but the spark was definitely still there.

Louis blushed a bit.

L: What can I say? A love so deep and true doesn’t just go away. Seeing each other again, it was like those (almost) 5 years hadn’t taken place.

H: It wasn’t long till we felt like we couldn’t deny it anymore. And this time, we didn’t want to hide it. So here we are, in front of a camera, letting the world know.

They didn’t look tired or worried any more. The instant relief of saying it out loud was something that they’d never forget. This moment that they had waited so long for, was turning out to be even more satisfying than they could have ever imagined. Louis let out a sigh.

H: But we don’t want this video to be just about us, we want to put out a message.

L: First of all, thank you to all of the so called “larry shippers” who respected out privacy, and waited until we were ready to come out. Please, never forget that although being in the spotlight, we’re just like you, and you only get half of the story.

H: We’re happy that many people found our experience inspiring, and identified with us. We understand that representation is important, which is why we also want to speak up about the musical industry. It’s no secret that economic interests move management, people in charge of advertising and promoting. But their decisions all reflect the morals and ideas of society. Our identities were oppressed because heteronormativity sells best.

Harry looked at Louis to let him finish the message. He knew that giving hope to the people suffering was very important to him.

L: So we want to finish this up telling anyone that’s in similar situation, whether they’re in the industry or out of it, that you don’t have to let people tell you who you have to be. Who you have to love. You are free to live the life you want to live, and surround yourself with people who are supportive.

H: We’ll play our part spreading kindness throughout the world, but we can’t reach everyone. Please share this message with everyone you know, so that no one else has to bear what he had to go through.

L: We now have the chonce to come back to London after tour, or just go wherever our hearts tell us to go.

H: The bottom line is that we don’t know where we’re going but we know where we belong, we’re each other’s home. Thank you for listening, and thank you for sticking with us till the end.

It’s done. It’s over. They’re finally free. No more words are needed for Harry and Louis to do what they’ve waited nine years to do in public. Harry puts his hand on his boyfriend’s cheek, Louis stares at Harry’s dimples for a second and quickly leans forward, he can’t wait. Time seems to stop when their lips meet. A A kiss – which marks the day they chose freedom.

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The video takes minutes to go viral. A happy Liam and a proud Niall are on top of the comment section: nothing other than supportive words from the friends that watched them suffer, and dreamt of the day they saw true bliss in their eyes.