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The music was too loud. The crowd was too big. The other people were too close to him.
He needed some space!
Just a bit of personal space, relax, unwind, process the night they've had so far.
Harry indicated to Niall that he was leaving the dance floor for a quick wee (though he’s not entirely sure Niall understood him, because of the way he was caught up in grinding against Liam, making him pretty distracted).
Just getting away from the dance floor took longer than he would've liked, there were just too many people always pushing him around, throwing their hands in the air, spilling their drinks.
The noise in the hallway to the toilets was a bit more subdued, quieter. He could actually hear himself think - thank God. Because he was so lost in his thoughts, Harry didn't look where he was going.
Tonight marked the end of the festival tour that his favorite artist, Louis Tomlinson, had been on these last few months. The Superbloom Festival, in Munich, marked the end of the FITF Era, and Harry flew to Munich to witness this incredible moment, to see Louis one last time before he most likely went MIA for a while. He has to admit it kind of exceeded his budget but, looking back, it was so worth it.
“…My fucking superpower is you lot…
…Munich, I am Louis Tomlinson, this is my fucking incredible band! Anyone you hear singing along with me, is my fucking incredible fans…
…One last time, I fucking love every single one of you lot. I am overwhelmed, but this has been the perfect fucking last gig man. Only got one song left. Don’t want it to be done, ey…
…Look at what we've created…
…Here we go Munich, one last time…”
The memories flitted through his head, in no particular order but every single one almost brought him to tears - again. Right after Louis’ performance, Harry had broken down crying.
His wandering around got to an abrupt end, as he walked into a wall. The wall moved so it actually must've been a person Harry ran into, and he just mumbled an apology and triedto brush past them.
That is, until he heard them apologize.
Harry's head snapped up, and he stared in disbelief at the man before him.
“Fucking hell,” Harry exclaimed, and immediately slapped a hand over his mouth.
There, in all his glory, stood the one and only Louis Tomlinson.
“You’re Louis Tomlinson!” he exclaimed. Internally, Harry smacked himself. Of course Louis knew who he was!
“Yeah, yeah I am,” Louis smiled. “And you are?”
Oh, Harry was so going to die after this, how can this get any more embarrassing than it already was?
“Right, sorry. I’m Harry.” Harry stammers out.
“Harry, nice to meet you! I take it, you know who I am?”
And there was the other reason he would die tonight. It may sound cliche, but Louis saying his name could've sent him straight to heaven.
Harry chuckled awkwardly “Yes, I do know you. Sorry, I’m quite nervous right now. I’m shaking inside.”
“No problem, love. I don't bite.” And there it was, that adorable giggle, with the hand on his mouth. Harry definitely is in heaven.
“Can I hug you, please?” He was almost too shy to ask that.
“Yes, babe, of course.” The words hadn't completely left Louis’ lips as Harry was already stepping into his arms.
Inhaling deeply, the discomfort of the club’s atmosphere left his body almost instantly. Louis smelled tropical, like coconut and citrus, and tobacco, obviously. In a weird way, the unusual combination was incredibly comforting.
“Are you alright, Harry?” Louis asked, “not to push you away but your grip is quite tight,” he chuckled.
“Oh yes, I’m sorry!” he stepped away, embarrassed. “I really needed that, thanks. With you now having finished the festival season and also your tour, the fandom expects you to vanish for a few months - which you totally deserve,” Harry was quick to assure, “ we are just going to miss you very much.”
“Aw love, it’s fine. Come back here.” And he was back in Louis’ arms. This is where he would love to spend the rest of his life. Protected, kept warm and close by the one of the few people that seemed to understand him. From now on, Harry was going to call this his ‘Happy Place.’
Harry looked up, resting his chin on Louis’ chest and mumbled “Hey, do you mind if we take a picture together? I’m not going to post this anywhere, just so I know I’m not dreaming right now?”
At this, Louis chuckled lightly, “Sure love, c’mere. Can you hold your phone or should I?”
"Oh, could you please? I’m shaking so much,” Harry admitted.
The rest of the evening passed in a daze. Harry doesn’t quite remember anything else but Louis, his warm body a steady presence in the hazy memories.
Later, he found Niall and Liam again, both wrapped up in each other and this time, he wasn't even a bit jealous of their connection to each other.
✧✧
As expected, the week following the Superbloom was just one big cloud of Post Concert Depression and Harry found himself more often than not mindlessly scrolling through his phone, watching new angles of the scenes he already knew and rewatching his own videos. This was probably the most depressing week he ever had and yet… it was still worth everything.
Every time he started to spiral, questioning his life choices, Harry pulled up the selfie Louis took Sunday night. You can clearly see that they're both incredibly exhausted, Harry from queueing and waiting and Louis from performing earlier that day. Still, it was the most beautiful picture in Harry’s opinion. He already knew he would treasure it forever.
Then, on Friday the news broke: Louis would be performing at the Lollapalooza in India. It was quite a shock for everyone; the Indian Louies were absolutely losing their shit over the news, some were incredibly happy to finally know Louis would be coming to their country, some were enraged by the prices.
Harry smiled at the news, happy for his fanbase. And that Louis wouldn't disappear forever. They now had a fixed date to eventually see him again, and the feared waiting was easier to deal with.