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mercurysnitch · 5 years ago

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You Make My Dreams Come True (One Magnificent Year)

Summary: The year Joe and Reader got married turned out to be a very big one for their family.

A/N: It’s finally here! The “bonus chapter” is finally done, and it only took three and a half months 😆 (life got in the way for a while there, it wasn’t supposed to take quite this long). I am so so pleased to finally be sharing it with you (I hope it lives up to all the anticipation). Now that you can see how long this is you’ll understand why I thought including these events would have dragged out the main story too much 🤣. For reference, this starts soon after the climax of part 6 (Reader and Joe getting engaged) and goes on from there.

Some disclaimers: I should have mentioned in Part 6 that I’ve never been to the USA so all parts in New York are based on what I’ve picked up from watching many many movies and TV shows set there. Sorry if anything’s horribly inaccurate, I tried to be at least somewhat realistic. This story features an overseas wedding being planned in only three months, which seemed feasible to me, but I’ve never planned a wedding so I might have been a bit optimistic there. I’ve never been pregnant or had children so all of that stuff is based on research. I think it’s mostly realistic, but some of it might not be completely accurate for twins/preemies, so sorry in advance. Also I think I might have outed myself as an old school music fan with some of the songs mentioned in here.

Because this is the story of a single year, it’s broken into months with little timeskips between sections. The months are all different lengths, so hopefully it’s not too choppy. I feel like it rambles a bit towards the end, but I think overall it works.

As always, please forgive any typos I may have missed.

Italics indicate reader’s inner thoughts.

Warnings: pregnancy, vomiting, children, babies, non-graphic birth, premature birth, some angst, allusions to sex, mild illness

Word count: 20.6k (grab a cup of tea and settle in, it’s a long one)

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New Year's Eve in New York City. Just like last year, and yet at the same time, so very different. This year, Joe’s traditional New Year’s Eve party was going to be a celebration of so much more. Lucy and Rami insisted on coming to celebrate your engagement as much as the new year. Joe had of course sent an announcement to the ‘band’ group chat almost the moment you got home, and you’d spent the next three days in a whirlwind of calls, texts and video chats. Joe wanted to post something on Instagram almost immediately, but you persuaded him to hold off until you could tell his extended family in person at Christmas. He was annoyed until he saw their reactions to your announcement. Needless to say, it went down very well.

And then he finally made his Instagram post on Boxing Day, which lifted his mood enormously. He chose a sweet selfie he’d taken of the two of you hugging Tallulah, whose face was hidden, with the hand bearing your ring held close to the camera. He captioned it ‘Well we had a great Christmas celebrating this… Two weeks ago she said yes. Still can’t believe I get these two for the rest of my life now.’ The reaction was practically immediate and overwhelmingly positive. Even Brian left a comment: ‘Congratulations to a lovely couple! Wishing you endless happiness. Bri.’ You couldn’t help smiling at all the positivity. “They’re all so happy for us, Joe” you commented. He was confused. “Well, yeah, it’s happy news, right?” “It is,” you agreed, “but I thought people might be put off by the whole stepkid thing.” “Most people actually think it’s really sweet” Joe assured you.

All in all, you were a very happy family when New Year’s Eve rolled around. Joe’s various friends were keen to celebrate with you, Tallulah was eagerly counting down the last few days before Roger’s arrival, and you felt a general sense that all was right with the world. Ben’s unexpected arrival at the party was a nice treat too. Even Tallulah was pleased to see one of her favourite people in the world. Sitting with Joe after your midnight kiss, you felt incredibly content. “This year’s going to be a good one, isn’t it?” You mused. “Definitely” Joe agreed, kissing you gently. “It’s going to be great.”

January

You weren’t expecting to get into wedding planning after being engaged for less than three weeks, but Joe was keen to set a date as soon as possible. “I’m an actor, I need to know when I’m not going to be available” he explained one night, when you questioned his urgency to make plans. There was just one decision you needed to make before making any firm plans: would you have the wedding in New York or back home in the UK? You fretted for nearly a week after Joe first raised the question, not wanting to inconvenience any of your potential guests. "Babe, wherever we have the wedding someone's going to have to travel to get to it" Joe reminded you, after you told him about your severe indecision on the matter. "We might as well just pick the location we want, and leave it to the guests to decide if it’s too far for them." You considered this for a moment. "I suppose you're right" you agreed finally. "I usually am" Joe quipped. "Seriously though, where do you actually want to do it?" "I think… I'd rather get married in Britain" you replied, hesitantly. Joe smiled. "Britain it is then."

He paused. "Actually I was kinda hoping you'd say that, I'd love for Roger and Brian to be there." "Why?" you asked, surprised. "Well, we wouldn't be here without them. Especially Roger" Joe explained. "Don't you think it'd be a little strange for Roger to be there?" you questioned. "He is sort of my ex, you know." "He's also the one who introduced us" Joe pointed out. "Still a bit weird, but I suppose you're right" you conceded. Why is my life so bloody weird? It'd be nice for Roger to be there, spend some time with Loolah, see my family… oh God. You must have groaned out loud, because Joe suddenly looked concerned. "You ok babe?" he asked. "Yeah, I just realised that if Roger comes to our wedding he'll have to meet my parents" you explained. "Is… is that a problem?" Joe was confused. "Well, considering my father is under the impression he got me pregnant and then basically abandoned me to raise the child alone for five years, let's just say Roger's not exactly my dad's favourite person" you clarified. "I'm sure they'll be fine" Joe reassured you, "Roger's, like, ridiculously charming and friendly when he wants to be." "I know" you replied gently. "So, you still want to get married in England?" Joe asked jokingly. You smiled. "Yes." "Well then," he replied, smiling contentedly, "looks like we've got a location, so let's set a date."

Setting a date, however, proved to be easier said than done. You quickly realised that getting married in England would be an excellent excuse for a holiday, so you decided to make it a two-week trip, with the wedding in the middle followed by a week's honeymoon, during which Tallulah could spend some time with her dad. This meant you needed to find a convenient time of year for you and Joe to have a holiday, that would also be ok for Roger. And then you'd need a venue that was available at the right time.

Finding a venue in England, while more or less stuck in New York was something of a challenge. Google was of course immensely helpful, but it soon became clear you would need someone on the ground there too. You were wondering who to ask when you realised most of your bridal party still lived in the UK. Destiny was your maid of honour, and she was more than happy to help. "Anything you need, lovie, just give me a call" she assured you. You soon found yourself asking her to look at a venue for you, an old stately home in a country village barely an hour outside London.

The house looked beautiful on the website, and best of all, you, Joe, Tallulah and some of your guests would be able to stay there ahead of the ceremony. Destiny went to look at it as soon as she could find the time, and her report was very positive. “It’s gorgeous�� she gushed to you down the phone. “You’d love it. The grounds are lovely too, I think Loolah’d have fun exploring them.” When Joe saw the photos Destiny sent you he agreed it looked practically perfect for your wedding. All that was left was to find a date the venue would be available.

You had a stroke of luck on the date front a few days after you and Joe put yourselves on the waiting list for a booking. A sudden cancellation had left the stately home with a week free in April, just after Easter. The timing couldn’t be better. “Work’ll be quiet, it’ll be a good time for me to have off” you explained to Joe. “And it’d overlap with Loolah’s school holidays too.” Joe was thoughtful for a moment. “I think I’m pretty free in April, actually” he said eventually. “So you wanna take the booking?” “Yeah, let’s do it” he enthused. A couple of days and several emails later the venue. “We’re getting married in April” you marvelled to Joe, after receiving the final confirmation. “Yeah” he replied contentedly. “Three months to plan a whole wedding. Are we nuts?” You really hoped not.

February

February brought cold season to your little family. First Tallulah came home with a sore throat and a fever which kept her away from school for three days, during which time Joe was luckily free to stay home with her. Then you caught her cold, though you managed to escape the worst of it, developing nothing worse than a sniffle. Finally, a week later you woke to find Joe pale and feverish beside you. He didn't wake until you were getting dressed for work. "Darling, are you alright?" you asked him, concerned. "No," he groaned. "My head hurts, my throat is killing me and I've got chills, I think." "Sounds like you've caught our cold then" you commented. "Can you stay home with me babe? Please?" Joe begged. You smiled sadly. "You know I can't, dear. Besides, you have a cold, you're not dying. You’re a grownup, you can survive eight hours on your own." "But baaabe!" he protested. "You sound like Loolah, you know” you grumbled, smiling fondly at Joe despite your exasperation. "But I'll come home as early as I can." "Thanks babe" he mumbled, peering blearily up at you from his spot under the covers. You returned to your morning routine, and Joe was asleep again within minutes.

Joe stayed home for a week. He never got any worse than Tallulah had, but sometimes it seemed that way because he was such a drama queen when he was sick. After two nights of listening to him sniff and cough miserably next to you, you banished yourself to the couch in the hope of finally getting some sleep. It barely worked, and you made sure to tell Joe the next day. "That couch is terrible! If only we had an extra bedroom…" "What, don't you like my apartment?" he grumped. "No, I do, Joe," you reassured him, "it's just… it feels so small sometimes. Like we're all on top of each other all the time, you know?" Joe looked thoughtful. "I actually saw a really nice house for sale the other day. Not too big, little bit of yard at the back… don't know if we can afford it though" he told you. "Well, it can't hurt to take a look" you grinned. Joe smiled back. "Let's go then."

The house turned out to be a nice little townhouse, with four bedrooms, but surprisingly right in your price range. Best of all, it was still on the market, but not for long. One very tense week later it was yours. There was just one small catch. "So, we close on the house in a month" Joe told you, following a phonecall from the real estate agent. "Which means we can't move in until April." "We're getting married in April though, we're going to be super busy and then away for a fortnight" you pointed out. "Yeah, the timing's not the best, is it?" Joe laughed. "I suppose we could move the week before we go…" you suggested. "Yeah, we- oh no, wait, we can't, I'm going to Vegas for my bachelor party that week" Joe told you. "And that means we can't move because…?" you asked. "I'm not leaving you to deal with moving by yourself" Joe replied stoutly. You looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "As much as I want to go all 'independent woman' on you, I actually think you're right. I'll have enough to do that week as it is." "So we'll move after the wedding?" Joe suggested. "Yeah. As soon as we can." Gee, we’re doing a lot this year.

March

Most of your free time in March was taken up with planning of one sort or another. When you weren’t sorting out last minute wedding details, you were busy attempting to organise the move into your new house. On top of finding a removal company you were planning to have some of your stored furniture shipped from England to fill the extra space. But you weren’t convinced it would be enough. “Why did we buy a four-bedroom house?” you questioned Joe, after yet another attempt to work out what you would still need once your things arrived. “We only needed two, and now we’ve got so many rooms and not enough furniture…” “Well I thought we might want to fill those extra bedrooms soon…” Joe said suggestively. “What do you mean, Joe?” you asked, confused. “I mean,” Joe sighed, exasperated at your obliviousness, “I hoped we could try to grow our family?” You thought you knew what he was getting at now, but you wanted to check. “D’you mean… try to have a baby?” “Yes” Joe replied, smiling. His face fell slightly at the sight of your expression. “Do you not want to? Cause we don’t have to, I just thought…hoped-” “Of course I want to have a baby with you Joe,” you reassured him, “just… can we maybe wait til after the wedding? We’ve got enough going on right now as it is.” Joe nodded in agreement. “You know, the honeymoon is after the wedding…” he pointed out suggestively. “It is.” “So, extra fun honeymoon then?” Joe suggested. “Sounds like a plan” you agreed. At that Joe kissed you much more lustily than you were expecting. Should be a very enjoyable honeymoon if he’s going to be like that.

As the weeks rolled by your focus increasingly shifted to the various parts of the wedding you and Joe still needed to plan. Of course, one of the most important components, at least to you and Joe, turned out to be the first dance. The first challenge was agreeing on the music. You both thought a Queen song seemed appropriate, but which one? "Love Of My Life?" Joe suggested. You looked at him incredulously. "What, it's a classic!" he insisted. "You do realise it's not actually a love song, right?" you asked. He was confused. "What?" "'Love of my life, don't leave me'?" you quoted. "It's a break-up song, Joe. I'm not doing the first dance to a break-up song!" Joe threw his hands up in surrender. "Ok, fine. Do you have any ideas?" You thought about it for a moment. "Um… Queen love songs. They didn't actually write all that many, did they?" Joe looked thoughtful. "Not straightforward happy ones, no" he agreed.

Suddenly his face was alight with inspiration. "We could do it to '39!" he suggested. "I know we both like that song." You were hesitant. "Um, I do like that song, but…" "But what?" He asked indignantly. "That song… it's kind of about me and Roger. Partly at least." you told him. "I just think it would be weird to have that for our first dance." Joe was very confused. "I thought Brian wrote '39?" "He did" you confirmed. "Roger told him about… us… once when they were both drunk, and Brian thinks that might have inspired the chorus. And the whole 'year of 39' bit." Your fiance looked at you blankly. "Roger and I were living 39 years apart at that point" you explained. "Oh." Joe sighed. "I guess that song would be kind of weird then" he conceded. “Actually, maybe a Queen song for the first dance was a bad idea” he pondered. “Yeah” you agreed. “Maybe we should just stick with one of the classics.” “The classics?” Joe questioned. “Yeah, you know, Frank Sinatra or At Last or something.” “Or ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off You’?” Joe suggested. “Slow dance and fast bits, we could have some fun with it.” “That’s perfect!” You agreed. So much for Queen for the first dance.

April

The arrival of April Fool’s Day signalled your wedding day was almost upon you. Everything important was booked or ordered, which meant you were now faced with sorting out all the little things you’d put off organising initially, knowing they could be dealt with at the last minute. Number one on the list was sorting out who would be looking after Tallulah when she wasn’t fulfilling her flower girl duties. “Isn’t Roger looking after her after the ceremony’s over?” Joe asked, when you tried to explain your dilemma. “He’s going to be at the reception, Joe” you pointed out. “Along with basically my whole family. And I can’t ask Destiny because she’s maid of honour, and Carla’s her date, so she’ll be there too.” Suddenly Joe understood. “Well I guess she could just come to the reception. Roger could keep an eye on her there. And your parents.” “I suppose…” you sighed. “Actually, Lucy and the other bridesmaids could probably look after her during the day, until Roger can take over at the reception. But then we’re going away at the end, and what if she wants to leave early?” “So what if she does? Roger can take her to his room, right?” Joe reassured you. “You’re right,” you agreed, “he’s her dad, he can deal with it.”

Your other major concern was the potential for the combination of your very ordinary family and several famous people to end very badly. “They were fine meeting me, they’ll be fine at the wedding too” Joe tried to reassure you. “You’re just one person though,” you pointed out, “they’re going to have several people to embarrass themselves in front of this time.” Joe was still unconcerned. “I’m sure they won’t be that bad, babe” “You don’t know my Auntie Marie… ah shit” you trailed off, hit with a sudden realisation. “What about her?” “She’s a mad Eastenders fan, has been for years. Got my cousins into it too, and Steph… Peter Beale was always her favourite” you explained. “I think she might still have a bit of a celebrity crush on Ben.” Joe nearly laughed. “You know he won’t be that bothered” he reassured you. “Even if she spends the whole day practically hanging off him?” “Not if she’s cute” Joe quipped. He rapidly backpedalled at the sight of your expression. “She won’t be able to stick to him all day, he’ll be busy being best man for some of it.” “Thank god for that” you quipped. In the end Joe managed to reassure you Ben was perfectly capable of handling himself around overexcited fans. Even so, you still resolved to ask your mum to remind a few of your relatives to behave themselves before the wedding.

You felt as though you’d hardly blinked before Tallulah’s Easter holidays had arrived, and the three of you were on a plane to London. The plan was to spend a few days there catching up with friends and sorting out the final last-minute details before heading to the wedding venue on Thursday. You had a big dinner party for all your wedding guests planned for Friday night, ahead of the main event on Saturday. On Sunday you were off to Italy with Joe to unwind for a few days before you had to go home. Tallulah was going to spend that time with Roger, and she was very excited.

You tried to get some sleep on the plane, but it was difficult to relax with so many last-minute worries buzzing through your mind. You kept dozing off only to wake up in a panic about something. “The bridesmaids! What if their dresses look bad with mine?” “Babe, it’ll be fine. Lucy picked them, and she’s an expert” Joe soothed drowsily. Lucy had become one of your closest friends since you’d started seeing Joe. She’d adopted you more or less instantly, along with the rest of the Bo Rhap crew, and been your guide in the strange new world in which you’d found yourself as an actor’s girlfriend. But she was also an extremely supportive friend while you wrestled with the realities of a long-distance relationship. She empathised deeply with your struggles, being in a very similar situation with Rami, and had all sorts of advice on how to deal with them. She continued to sympathise as you adjusted to life in a new city, having had similar experiences when moving around for different projects.

Including Lucy in your bridal party was therefore a no-brainer in your view. Her experience with fashion had proved very useful when you’d enlisted her to help you select bridesmaids’ dresses. The only small issue was that you had never seen the dresses in person, as your entire bridal party lived in the UK. As well as Lucy, and of course Destiny, there was your sister Eliza and Annabelle, an old uni friend who was one of the few people who’d actually stuck around after Tallulah was born. Quite a lot of your friends had made all the right noises while you were pregnant, only to disappear when confronted with the reality of your new situation. In any case, you were now very much looking forward to seeing all your bridesmaids again.

Despite your restlessness the flight passed quickly enough, and before you knew it you were settling into your temporary holiday flat in central London. Your parents insisted on coming to meet you as soon as possible, having not seen you in months, so most of the afternoon was spent lounging around the flat and catching up with them. Your sister had been keeping your mum in the loop about the wedding preparations, so she was full of useful last-minute advice and reassurance. “I’ve seen your sister’s dress, I’m sure all the bridesmaids will look wonderful” she told you, after you’d voiced to her your concerns about the dresses you hadn’t seen in person. “They’ll work beautifully with your dress too, I’m sure.” You weren’t entirely soothed, but you didn’t have the energy to argue by then.

Your worries were proved unfounded at the final fitting the next day. Lucy’s taste was clearly excellent, and everyone looked absolutely beautiful in their light aquamarine gowns. You spent a very enjoyable day getting fitted and hanging out with your bridesmaids, who got on well despite barely knowing each other. Well, they do all get on with me, they must have something in common. Tallulah had fun too, sitting in the fancy bridal shop with some of her favourite adults, and then getting to wear a very pretty dress. “You look so pretty, lovie!” Lucy gushed, when she finally got to see Tallulah in her flowergirl outfit. “Of course she looks pretty Luce,” you smiled, “you chose the dress.” All in all it was a productive day, and you felt much calmer about your imminent wedding at the end of it.

The days passed in a whirlwind of lunches, coffee dates, and frantic final preparations. You even squeezed in a surprise hen night with your bridal party. But then, quick as a flash, Thursday had arrived and you found yourself on the road to the stately home where the wedding was being held. Joe had insisted on driving, but he wasn’t coping very well with having to drive on the opposite side of the road. “God, this feels so wrong even though I know it’s not.” “Just concentrate” you urged him. “And I’m driving next time, it’ll be a lot less stressful.” Fortunately you made it to the wedding venue without incident, despite a couple of near-misses.

Thursday night was spent having dinner with the entire bridal party, who had never been together before. They would all be staying in the actual stately home with you and Joe for the duration. Joe had picked Ben as his best man, after much agonising. Rami and Gwilym were of course groomsmen too, alongside Joe’s brother. To your immense relief everyone got on well without much effort, and the evening passed surprisingly quickly. You went to bed with the feeling that the countdown was now on, and you were very excited.

Most of Friday was spent preparing the venue for the events of the next day, setting up a location in the grpunds for the ceremony and arranging flowers and decorations. The evening, though, was set aside for a relaxed pre-wedding party, to give the guests an opportunity to meet each other and see you and Joe before you were swept up in the wedding tomorrow. The guests themselves arrived in dribs and drabs as the day went on. The bridal party were already there, of course, and their various partners had all arrived by lunchtime. Your parents appeared in the early afternoon, and Joe’s mum followed soon after. The day was full of enjoyable reunions, and the night promised even more.

The party started in the early evening with light finger food and cocktails. There was no formal sit-down meal, because people were coming from all over and would be arriving at various times throughout the night. You and Joe tried to remain in a central position so you could easily greet people as they arrived. Later in the night there were a couple of quick speeches from Joe and Ben, welcoming everyone to your wedding. After the speeches you and Joe took the opportunity to mingle with some of the late arrivals. Among them was Brian, who swept over to introduce you to Anita, who was just as warm and lovely as he was. "I told her the truth about you. And Tallulah. Hope you don't mind" he told you in an undertone. You smiled reassuringly. "Of course not.” Not long after he trotted off to catch up with the rest of the Bo Rhap contingent, currently hanging out in a quiet corner, your parents came up to you, bringing Tallulah with them. "She was asking for you" your mother explained. At almost the same moment Roger came over with Sarina to say hello. Oh lord, here we go.

"Hello, love! Good to see you back on home soil" Roger greeted you, cheerful as ever. "Hi Roger. Sarina, lovely to see you again." Your mother leaned over while Joe greeted them both. "Wait, how do you know him?" she asked. Before you could reply Roger was looking at you curiously. "Roger, these are my parents" you explained, in response to his unspoken question. "Roger Taylor. How do you do?" He smiled cheerfully as he reached over to shake their hands. Something about his expression seemed to catch your mother’s interest, and you could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. "Hold on, are you-?" "Daddy!" Tallulah cried, rushing over to embrace him. "Hello darling" Roger murmured, bobbing down to hug her back. "'Daddy?'" your father repeated incredulously. "Yes," you confirmed, "this is Tallulah's dad. And his wife Sarina" "Wife?" your father echoed. "Yes" Roger replied, straightening up. "You never said he was married" your father muttered darkly. You tensed up at your father’s tone. “He never told me.” "He was- you were married then?" your father spluttered at Roger, clearly angry. He didn't even need to explain what 'then' meant. "Dear, please, don't make a scene" your mother urged quietly. Roger, surprisingly, was unfazed. I suppose it's easy to ignore accusations when you know they're not actually true. "Yes, I was. And yes, I did some things I'm not proud of back then, but becoming Tallulah's father sure as hell isn't one of them" he declared stoutly. Your father seemed to accept this, but was still unwilling to back down. "Still can't believe you had the nerve to show your face here" he said unpleasantly. Joe had been hanging back, unwilling to get involved, but at this he felt he had to intervene. "If you must know," he explained tensely, "I insisted we invite Roger. Your daughter and I wouldn't be here without him, and besides, he's a friend." Your parents gawped at him but said nothing. "I know it's an unusual situation" Joe pressed on, "but we've all managed to get along despite the circumstances, so the least you can do is respect that. And respect Roger too, he's a good man." Your father was evidently flabbergasted at Joe's outburst, to the point that he was apparently unable to form a response. Your mother seized the opportunity to steer him away from you towards some nearby relatives, having apparently decided the conversation had gone far enough.

"Was that too much?" Joe whispered when they were safely out of earshot. "No," you reassured him, "he just needs some time to cool off. He'll be okay." You were suddenly acutely aware of Roger looking at you with concern, while chatting with Tallulah. "You alright?" you asked casually. He grinned. "Yeah. 'S not the first time I've had to deal with an angry dad. Been a few years though…" There was a thoughtful pause. "What exactly is his problem, by the way?" Roger asked lightly. "He thought I ruined my life when I got pregnant by someone who didn't stick around" you explained. Roger looked downcast. "Oh. I see" he muttered. "You know, it kills me a bit that you had to raise her alone for so long" he said suddenly, quietly enough that no-one would overhear. "I wasn't alone, Rog" you reassured him. He still looked downcast. “I know, but still…” “It wasn’t your fault you weren’t there, I don’t blame you for it, so stop beating yourself up about it” you told him. “I made my choice expecting I’d never see you again, I knew what I was signing up for.” Roger stared at you curiously. “Well, I thought I did, anyway” you clarified. Roger grinned at that, but it disappeared quickly. “D’you ever wish-” he started to ask, but you cut him off. “Things had been different? Of course. I’m pretty happy with how they’ve turned out, though. Thanks to you.” Roger was confused. “Thanks to me?” “Technically, you introduced me to Joe” you pointed out. He grinned broadly at that.

Suddenly you realised Joe had disappeared. Before you could do anything, though, Ben appeared at your shoulder. "Y/N" he said quietly, making you jump. “Ben! What’s up?” The blond looked uncharacteristically serious. “It’s Joe,” he told you, “he’s… he needs you, I think.” “Well where is he?” You asked, suddenly concerned. “Come with me” Ben murmured, leading you away from the party. He took you down a corridor to a quiet storeroom, away from the noise and movement. “What’s he doing in here?” You asked, whispering urgently. “He’s… upset, I guess” Ben replied. “But he’ll be able to explain it better. Just go in, please.” A worrying thought struck you. “We’re the guests of honour, won’t people notice we’ve both gone?” Ben shrugged. “Even if they do they’ll just think you’re shagging or something.” “Ben!” you chided him, scandalised. “Relax, I’ll cover for you if anyone does notice” he reassured you. “Thanks” you muttered, turning away to face the storeroom properly.

You cautiously pushed the door open. “Joe? Are you alright?” Your soon-to-be husband looked up, startled. His eyes were red-rimmed and full of tears. “How did you-?” “Ben told me” you explained, cutting off his question. “But darling, what’s wrong?” You asked him tenderly, sitting down next to him. “After I saw you with your dad, before, it just… it suddenly hit me, really hard.” “What hit you?” You prompted, wrapping your arms around him. “My dad’s not here. I’m getting married and he won’t be there. He should be here, meeting your parents, defending you to your own father like I did, but he’s not” Joe explained sadly. “And I feel like I should be super happy right now, and I am, but I’m really sad too.” “Oh, darling, you’re allowed to feel however you want” you comforted him. You held him quietly for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me you were upset?” You asked quietly. “It came on really suddenly, like out of nowhere… and you looked so happy back there, I didn’t want to bring you down” Joe admitted. “Joe, darling, I don’t mind. We’re nearly married, that means it’s my job to help you when you feel like this” you reassured him. “Thanks wifey” he said, looking slightly happier. You kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Any time, babe.” You paused, sitting in silence for a while. “Are you ok now, or do you still need a minute?” You eventually asked, sensing your husband-to-be was starting to feel better. Joe looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll need a little bit longer, I think.” You sat together in silence for a moment. Suddenly Joe turned his head and kissed you. “I love you so much” he murmured as you broke apart. “Love you too” you replied automatically. “You can go now, if you want” Joe announced. “I’ll be out soon.” But as you reached the door he stopped you. “Actually, can you get Ben to come in here?” He asked calmly. “Ben?” You questioned, surprised. “Just…please?” Joe’s expression spoke such volumes you suddenly didn’t need to know any more. “Of course, dear.” You paused just before you left the room. “I’m sending Ben into a private space with you, should I be worried?” you quipped. Joe laughed at that, and you finally relaxed, knowing for sure he would be ok now.

The rest of the party rolled on without incident, and you went to bed that night with an odd mixture of contentment and nerves bubbling in your head. The next morning you woke relaxed and refreshed, and most unusually, alone. Joe was rather fond of certain wedding traditions, and had insisted on sharing Ben’s room for the night. You thought it was probably for the best, you’d have to get ready separately anyway. Lucy had suggested Tallulah have a sleepover with her and Rami as well, so you could have a break and she could look after your daughter in the morning while you had a bit of a lie in.

As you got out of bed and started on your morning routine you were hit with a sudden wave of pre-wedding jitters. What if it rained? What if something went wrong? Were you doing this too soon? You’d only been living together for nine months, after all. Your stressful thoughts were interrupted by a knock on your door. “Y/N? You up?” It was Destiny, fulfilling her first job of the day. “Yeah, come in” you called. She took one look at you and rushed over, enveloping you in her arms. “What’s up love?” “I just… I don’t know” you gulped. “I’m having all these doubts all of a sudden. What if this is too soon?” Destiny smiled reassuringly. “You’ve been together for years, this is hardly a whirlwind romance.” “I know, but-” She turned to look you straight in the face. “You love him, don’t you?” You were bewildered at the question. “Of course I do, but-” “And Joe loves you, right?” Destiny pressed on. “Well, yeah, I think s-” You were interrupted by Lucy entering your room, Tallulah in tow. She immediately sent Tallulah off to the bathroom so she could talk to you alone. “What’s going on?” Lucy asked. “Pre-wedding jitters” Destiny explained. “Anyway, you love Joe and he loves you, doesn’t he?” You were oddly uncertain. “I think s-” “He does” Lucy chimed in. “He adores you, Y/N, everyone can see it.” “You see?” Destiny went on. “You love each other, you want to be with each other, and at the end of the day that’s what really matters here.” You sighed. “I know Dess, I just… this’s all happened so quickly, how do I know we’re not moving too fast?” Lucy stepped forward, and Destiny wordlessly let you go so the younger woman could take over. Lucy put her hands on your shoulders and looked into your eyes. “Y/N,” she began firmly, “Joe loves you, he really does. Everyone can see how you make each other happy.” “I know that, but-” “So what if you’ve moved quickly?” She cut you off. “When you know, you know. Joe knows, even if you don’t.” You were confused. “How do you know that?” “Rami” Lucy said simply. “He’s never seen Joe look at anyone the way he looks at you, and you know as well as I do how long they’ve known each other.” You were taken aback. How could you have doubted what you and Joe had? “I suppose when I think about it this does feel right, even if it is a bit quick” you declared. Lucy smiled. “Of course it is lovie. Now come on, let’s get you married.”

In the end, the ceremony went off without a hitch. You looked beautiful, Joe only got slightly teary when he saw you at the end of the aisle, and all the guests agreed it was lovely. Even the previous night’s tension with your father was forgotten as soon as he saw you in your full regalia for the first time. The expression on Joe’s face when he first caught sight of you was so adoring, and so happy, all your doubts vanished instantly when you saw it. By the end of the ceremony you were fairly sure you were both wearing identical joyful smiles. You really were glad to be marrying him.

The reception went well too. The first dance, which you and Joe had positively slaved over, was performed flawlessly, and earned rapturous applause from your guests. The speeches were all excellent as well. Ben's was probably the most polished, but then, he was an actor. You wanted to thank him during the dancing afterwards, but he seemed to have vanished. Joe was strangely unconcerned by this. "He's probably just gone for a smoke, wifey.” He seemed to have been gone a long time, but before you could consider this further you were distracted by Rami and Lucy coming to congratulate you, accompanied by Tallulah. Somehow, in the midst of all the hugs Joe disappeared off somewhere. You couldn't work out where until Lucy led you to a chair near the front table, closest to the little stage area where the sound system was, and urged you to sit there with Tallulah. You were surprised to see there were microphones and amps and even a drum set up, even though you hadn't booked a band.

Your confusion lasted only until Joe and Ben stepped up to two of the mikes. "What are they doing?" you muttered to Lucy. "Just watch" she told you, grinning. Suddenly you noticed a familiar lanky figure wandering over to the third mike. Joe, in the middle, cleared his throat. "Uh, hi everyone, if I could have your attention for a minute? Relax, I'm not doing another speech. So you might know we three have a bit of a side interest in music, even though we don’t get to play together very much. So I just wanted to take the opportunity tonight to do something special for the two very special ladies in my life. To the extremely talented musicians in the audience, please bear with us. Everyone else, enjoy." With that, he picked up a bass, Ben picked up a tambourine, and Gwilym, down the other end, sat on a bar stool at his mike, acoustic guitar in hand. Ben counted them in, and suddenly Gwilym started picking out the very familiar chords of '39, with Joe on bass and Ben on bass drum and tambourine. Then Joe began to sing directly to you and Tallulah, and you thought you might cry, though Tallulah immediately started to sing along. Gwilym and Ben harmonised nicely on backing vocals too. When the end of the song brought rapturous applause, your new husband and his friend beamed, while Gwilym just smiled modestly. When things died down, Joe spoke up again. "Ladies and gentlemen, Gwilym Lee!" he introduced. "And on drums, Ben Hardy!" After a brief round of applause he grinned cheekily. "You liked that?" he asked the crowd. "Lucky for you, we have one more. It's a bit of an oldie, but a goodie" he explained. Another count in from Ben led to the intro to "Hello Mary Lou." Joe looked distinctly nervous as he started to sing again, but you beamed at him as he sang straight to you. The song finished, your guests applauded, and with a wink and a "That's all folks!" the musicians left the stage, taking their instruments with them.

Moments later the three of them appeared in front of you. You promptly threw your arms around them all. "That was amazing! You're so talented, all of you." Ben blushed. "Oh, well, I'm no Roger…" he faltered. "We had excellent teachers” Gwilym added, looking slightly uncomfortable at the praise. "You what?" you asked, surprised. "Brian and Roger taught us Hello Mary Lou" Joe explained. “We already knew ’39 from the movie, just had to refresh our memories a bit.” "Well you all did wonderfully" you mused. "Anyway, 'Hello Mary Lou'?" "I know how much you like it, and it seemed… appropriate for us" Joe shrugged. "I suppose. You really love ’39 though, don't you?" you commented. "Well it always reminds me of us a bit, you know, lovers separated, longing to be together again, it's kind of the story of our relationship, y'know?" Joe explained. "It kind of is" you agreed.

Suddenly Brian and Roger descended on the trio of groomsmen to congratulate them on the performance. You took advantage of their celebration’s rapid turn into an in-depth conversation about drumming between Ben and Roger and embraced Brian. "Thank you for teaching them" you murmured. "That was wonderful." He smiled. "You're very welcome" he said warmly. "You know, it was a bit strange watching them all up there. Joe looks so much like Deaky when he plays, it’s almost alarming." “You should tell Joe that” you commented. “Oh, he knows” Brian replied airily. You were glad, but you thought Joe was extremely talented in his own right too.

The laughter and dancing seemed to go on forever, but soon enough, the festivities were over and you and Joe were retreating to the bridal bedroom. Even though it was your wedding night both of you were too tired to do much more than undress each other and cuddle. “I love you, wifey” Joe murmured, as you dozed off wrapped in each other’s arms. “I love you, hubs” you murmured back. You weren’t sure you’d ever been happier in your life.

You spent the following week in something of a post-wedding haze. You spent several happy days honeymooning in Rome, enjoying spring sunshine and Italian food. You revelled in the feeling of being married, and in being responsible only for yourselves for a change. It was an odd sensation after so many years of single parenthood. But all too soon the honeymoon was over, and you had to go home to New York. Back to work, school and responsibilities. But also to your new future, which was looking brighter than ever.

May

You returned home still floating in a blissful honeymoon fog. Joe could only stay home for a week before he would be needed in LA again, but you made the most of it by moving house two days after you got back from England. Your wedding gifts had been shipped to the new house ahead of you, bringing with them a few pleasant surprises. In addition to the gifts left by your guests there were a number of cards sent by people who hadn't been able to attend the wedding. You and Joe made sure to read them all together, occasionally asking each other who the senders were. However, there was one card that mystified you both.

One afternoon you wandered into the kitchen to find Joe at the table bent over a stack of cards. "Babe, do you know a John and Veronica?" he asked as you passed him on your way to the pantry. "No, why?" you replied casually. "There's a card here from 'John and Veronica' and I don't know who they are so I figured they must be people you know…" "Maybe I do" you mused. “Show me.” Joe passed the card over, and you started to read. “Joe and Y/N”, it said, ‘Congratulations on your wedding. May your marriage bring you a lifetime of happiness.’ It was signed ‘John and Veronica,’ but you didn’t recognise the handwriting. “Weird,” you murmured, "'John and Veronica' sounds sort of familiar somehow…" Joe looked at you thoughtfully. "It sounds kinda familiar to me too" he said wonderingly. Suddenly he gasped. "John Deacon… John Deacon's wife's called Veronica… you don't think?" Joe babbled frantically. "Could be" you replied evenly. "But how would he have known we were getting married?" "Luke" Joe responded instantly. "Luke Deacon DM'ed me after I did the engagement post on Instagram, just to say congrats, y'know." "Nice bloke" you commented. "Very nice" Joe agreed. "He must've told his dad, I guess. But then how did he-" "Know where to send the card?" you completed. "Sent it to Roger and Brian, probably."

A quick phonecall to Roger confirmed your suspicions, and lead to some interesting revelations. "He knows the real story about you and Loolah now" Roger confessed. "He recognised you in the engagement photo. And her. At least, he knew immediately she was mine" he explained. "I suppose he would" you mused. "And he wanted… he wishes Joe well, he really does. He just wants to stay as far away from the business as possible, you know" Roger added. "I get that now, so much" you laughed. Joe, listening in, looked as though he might cry. He understood exactly what Roger meant, and it made him so very glad to hear it.

All too soon, Joe had to go back to work in LA, again. He was gone for three weeks, until mid-May. By the time he came home a hint of summer was starting to creep into the city air. Annoyingly, though, you were unable to make the most of Joe's eventual return. Lately, you had been so tired all you wanted to do was sleep, even on your days off. You'd been feeling like this for a week by the time Joe came home. The next morning you woke up feeling extremely nauseous. You tried to get up without waking Joe, but the movement made things so much worse you had to jump up and sprint for the toilet. Thank god we have an en-suite now. "Babe?" Joe groaned from the bed. "What's up?" You didn't want to open your mouth to respond. While you were curled over the bowl you heard footsteps. You were suddenly aware of Joe standing behind you. "Oh, honey" he murmured sympathetically, leaning down to rub your back in soothing circles.

When you finally stopped heaving you looked up to see Joe studying you with a mixture of concern and curiosity. "Are you sick, babe? You seemed fine last night…" "I was" you told him crossly. "Or at least, I wasn't feeling like this. I have been really tired though" you explained, thoughtfully. "Maybe you've caught something from Loolah?" Joe suggested. She was always passing things on from school. "Maybe" you echoed, unsure. "She hasn't been sick lately though." You hauled yourself upright and went to brush your teeth. "I've probably just eaten something dodgy" you assured your husband. "If you say so" he replied, sounding unconvinced. "You don't believe me?" you asked him. Joe stood behind you at the sink while you brushed, looking uncertain. "I do, it's just… well… we were, ah, trying all honeymoon, maybe it worked?" he said, rather suggestively. "I doubt it" you told him, "It’s only the first month. Besides, I'm about to get m-" Wait, what's the date? You were abruptly silenced by a sudden realisation. "What?" he asked frantically. "My period. It's two weeks late. How did I not notice that?" He smiled. "So you think-?" You nodded. "I really could be. I think I'd better go to the pharmacy today..."

Joe had to go to work that day, but by some weird stroke of luck, you had a day off. You ran out to the pharmacy that very morning and bought two tests, rushing home to do them as soon as you could. The results were clear as day. Positive. Both of them. Oh my god, it actually worked. I’m really pregnant. I have to do something cute to tell Joe. You immediately started to develop a plan for your very special announcement. I’m so happy. God, he’s going to be so excited. He’s going to be the best dad too.

Joe arrived home that afternoon to the usual enthusiastic welcome from Tallulah. When you finally managed to persuade Tallulah to let him go, you sent her off to watch cartoons while you took Joe upstairs to freshen up. "So did you get to the drugstore today?" he asked quietly. "I did" you replied, trying to sound casual. "And?" he questioned, as you reached your shared bedroom. “I, um, I also got you a present today” you told him, pointing at a white box sitting on your shared bed. “Ookay?” Joe looked at you, confused, as he sat down and opened the box. He pulled out the tiniest Yankees shirt you’d been able to find. “This is so cute!” Joe exclaimed. “But why'd y-? Wait." He stared at the shirt intently. Suddenly he looked at you, thunderstruck. "No. Way" he breathed. "Holy shit. The honeymoon worked?" he asked excitedly, breaking into a huge grin. You nodded, wordlessly showing him the tests you'd hidden in the bedside drawer. Joe’s face lit up, as he broke into happy tears. "Oh my god. You’re actually pregnant?” he asked wonderingly. "Yes, Joe, I’m really pregnant” you echoed, tearing up yourself despite your joyful smile. “We're going to have a baby, darling.” “Oh my god. Oh my god. I’m gonna be a dad!” he exclaimed, pulling you in for a bear hug and kissing you deeply through the tears.

“I’m so excited babe, I want to tell everyone” he gushed as he held you. You pulled back to look at him. “Joe, darling, I literally just peed on the sticks this morning, I haven’t even been to the doctor yet. We can’t tell anyone for now, ok?” Joe looked at your serious face and nodded, disappointed. “Ok” he agreed. You paused. “Actually, we’ll need to be careful when we go back down, even Loolah doesn’t know.” “Crap” Joe cursed. “I even have to keep this from your child who lives with us? I know I’m not the expert, but that seems like a bad idea even to me” he said. “It’s only for a few weeks” you reassured him. He sighed. “I know babe, it’s just, I’m so excited, I don’t know if I can keep it in for that long.” “Well you’ll just have to try” you replied quietly. You held each other wordlessly for a moment. “I love you, did I tell you that?” Joe murmured, finally breaking the silence. “Both of you” he added, smiling broadly. “We love you too” you replied dreamily. You didn’t think you’d ever been happier than you were at that moment.

June

By the time you managed to find a doctor and get an appointment a few weeks had passed, and you were already 9 weeks along. In the meantime you had at least managed to get your pregnancy officially confirmed by a blood test at a walk-in clinic. You were still holding off on telling people about it, but it was getting difficult to hide the fact that something was happening to you. You were constantly nauseous, and it was a battle to get through a whole day of work without a spontaneous nap. I swear it wasn’t this bad last time. I suppose I was a lot younger then. This time seems so different though. Joe had managed to keep his promise so far, even with Tallulah, but you weren’t convinced he could go much longer without exploding. In any case, he was very excited about your first appointment. He made sure he was free to go with you on your afternoon off, while Tallulah was at school.

Doctor Baker was a slightly older woman with a calm, pleasant manner and a sterling reputation. You sat quietly in front of her as she checked over your paperwork. “Ok, well, that all looks good. So, just to confirm, is this your first child?” She asked pleasantly. You and Joe looked at each other. “Uh…” he muttered.“It’s my second, but it’s his first” you explained, pointing to him. “Ok, and how old’s your first?” The doctor inquired. “She’s seven” you and Joe replied simultaneously. Doctor Baker smiled kindly. “Well, as it’s been a few years you might find things are a bit different this time around, but that’s totally normal” she told you. “Now, let’s have a look at what’s going on in there.”

You moved over to the bed in her office while she bustled around preparing the ultrasound machine. Joe sat next to you, nervously holding your hand while the doctor put the gel on your stomach and turned the machine on. “Ok, let’s see” the doctor murmured, moving the ultrasound wand around experimentally. “Ah! Here we go” she said suddenly, as the room was filled with the familiar sound of a tiny heart beating. But that doesn’t sound like I remember. “You hear that?” You nodded quietly. “That’s two heartbeats. Two strong heartbeats” the doctor informed you. What?! "There's… what?! Joe cried, his mouth opening in shock. “Two? There’s two of them?” You asked Doctor Baker, equally stunned. “Yes,” she smiled, “two healthy babies. Congratulations.” You and Joe turned to look at each other simultaneously. “Twins!” You both exclaimed. “Oh my god, twins!” Joe gushed, overjoyed. You were both tearing up at the news. “Here, have a look” Doctor Baker said quietly, moving the wand so you could see both babies. “Wow” Joe breathed. “Yeah” you agreed. You made sure to get printouts of a few images from the ultrasound. You wanted to remember this moment forever.

Joe was bursting with excitement when you left the doctor’s office. “Oh my god, babe, we’re having twins!” “I know Joe, I was there” you quipped, exasperated. “I know babe, it’s just, I can’t believe this is actually happening” he explained. “Oh, it’s really happening” you quipped, smiling. Getting home brought another challenge. “Look, I know we’re not telling people yet, but I swear to God if I don’t tell someone soon I’m going to explode” Joe told you later that day. You were still reluctant to tell anybody until you were further along, but you decided to compromise. “We could tell my parents later if you want” you suggested. Joe enthusiastically agreed, so later that afternoon you FaceTimed them while holding one of your ultrasound photos. Your mum gasped when she saw what it was, and you were pretty sure she squealed when you told her you were actually having twins. Your dad was pretty happy too, the semi-argument before your wedding now long forgotten. Joe was very pleased it wasn’t a complete secret any more, and to your immense relief he managed to keep calm once Tallulah got home. You were very excited too, but you knew it was best to wait just a bit longer before telling her. Just a few weeks, and then we can tell everybody.

July

The arrival of July heralded the beginning of Tallulah's summer holidays. This also meant a visit from Roger, who was taking her to his house in LA for a few weeks, although he was going to enjoy a couple of days with her in New York first. The final day before their departure, which Roger spent showing Tallulah around some of the New York sights, very conveniently coincided with your next visit to Doctor Baker. It was a glorious summer’s day, and you took a minute to enjoy the weather with Joe after your appointment. Both babies had received a clean bill of health, so you were in a buoyant mood as you lounged on a park bench together, basking in the sunshine. “Please tell me we can tell Tallulah now,” Joe pleaded, “keeping this secret is absolutely killing me.” “We’ll tell her tonight” you reassured him. “Oh, wait, Roger’s coming for dinner” you realised, thinking out loud. “So?” Joe responded. “We’re gonna have to tell him at some point, might as well get it over with.” “True” you murmured. “So, we’ll tell them tonight?” he asked. “Yeah.” “And then we can tell the world” Joe added. “And then the world” you echoed, smiling contentedly. It was going to be a good summer.

That night, before dinner, you presented Tallulah with a t-shirt that said ‘World’s Best Big Sister’ on the front. Roger saw it and immediately glanced at you with a knowing smile, but said nothing. Tallulah stared at the shirt in confusion, until suddenly her face lit up when she realised what it meant. “I’m gonna be a big sister?!” She cried, beaming with excitement. You smiled at her obvious joy. “Yes, darling.” “So does that mean… there’s a baby in your tummy, Mummy?” She asked, a little uncertainly. “Actually, Loolah,” Joe cut in, sitting down beside her at the dining table, “there’s two babies in Mommy’s tummy.” “Twins?” Tallulah squealed happily. “Yeah, twins” Joe confirmed, pulling some ultrasound pictures out of his pocket. “Have a look, sweetie.”

Tallulah chattered excitedly all through dinner, clearly delighted at the prospect of two younger siblings. It sounded like she’d had a nice day out with Roger too. Finally dinner was finished, Joe was cleaning up and Roger was putting Tallulah to bed, giving you a rare moment to sink onto the couch and enjoy some peace and quiet. Joe soon returned from the kitchen to sit next to you, holding you close. "You feeling ok?" he asked softly. "Just tired" you reassured him. You cuddled quietly together, chatting lazily about nothing in particular, until Roger reappeared. "Loolah's finally asleep" he told you, settling himself into an armchair next to the couch. "She seems happy, she had lots of questions." "Which you'll have to answer for the next three weeks" you quipped, grinning evilly. "True" Roger commented thoughtfully. "Now, as I haven't said it yet, congratulations, both of you" he added, smiling warmly. "Thanks, man" Joe replied, looking pleased at Roger's obvious joy. "Twins!" Roger mused. "That's… really great, actually. I'm so pleased things have worked out for you two." You and Joe both smiled at that.

“So when are you due?” Roger asked pleasantly. “January” you replied. “Which I guess means I’ll be too pregnant to take Loolah home for Christmas like I was planning.” Joe looked surprised. “You’re already planning Christmas in July?” he asked incredulously. “Not really,” you explained, “I just remembered I’d said to Mum that we’d go back to them this year.” “Well maybe your parents’ll just have to come over here instead” Roger suggested. ��Perhaps” you mused. “I could come for New Year’s, have a late Christmas with Loolah” he added, thinking out loud. “That could be fun” Joe commented. You suddenly realised your next New Year’s Eve would be very different to previous celebrations. I’m definitely looking forward to it though.

You and Joe waved Tallulah and Roger off the next morning in an extremely good mood. You were determined to make the most of Tallulah’s holiday in LA, given it was likely to be the last time you were kid-free for quite a while. First on the agenda was a long-awaited band reunion. Unusually, Ben and Gwilym were both going to be working in New York at the same time, so it had been decided that a band dinner simply had to be arranged. You and Joe had decided to make an announcement at this dinner, but your plans went slightly awry when Ben dropped in that afternoon. You didn’t want to tell him early, but he saw you dashing for the bathroom at one point and was immediately concerned. “Are you ok Y/N?” he asked you when you came back. “You look a little pale…” “I’m fine, Ben” you assured him. “What’s up?” Joe asked, wandering over to his friend. “I had to run for the loo again” you explained. “Aw, you’re still sick? I thought it was getting better” Joe sympathised. “You’re sick?” Ben asked. “Um, kind of…” you muttered sheepishly. “Kind of? Guys, what’s going on?” Ben demanded, clearly confused. Joe glanced at you, and you nodded slightly, giving him wordless permission. “It's fine, Ben, it’s just morning sickness” he explained. "Oh. Right" Ben replied automatically. Then he processed Joe's comment properly. “Wait, morning sickness? Does that mean you're-?" He looked expectantly at Joe, who nodded silently. Ben beamed in response "Oh my god, that’s so great! Congratulations!” he gushed, pulling you both into a warm bear hug.

Telling the rest of the band was easy. They knew something was up as soon as you turned down the wine they were sharing. You noticed Ben smirking slightly at their confusion as to why before Joe spoke up. “Yeah, Y/N can’t drink for the next six months… cause I knocked her up.” There were a few giggles, which were followed by a shocked silence as everyone realised Joe was serious. “Yeah, and he did a great job” you added. “I’m having twins.” This revelation triggered an explosion of happy noise around the table. “You sneaky buggers, you didn’t tell me it was twins!” Ben cried, grinning at you regardless. Lucy just squealed with happiness. Dinner was interrupted while everyone stood to embrace you and Joe and murmur their congratulations. Rami looked positively overjoyed for his old friend. "Twins. Wow" he muttered to you. "Yeah, we might need your expert advice some time" you commented. "Oh, of course. Anything you need, just let us know" he assured you.

Later on Gwilym wandered over, beaming at you. “Congratulations love, it’s wonderful news.” “Aw, thank you” you replied, smiling. “They’re not going to play baseball are they?” he asked, half-seriously. “I don’t think they’ll get much choice” you sighed, grinning. “But I’m definitely teaching them cricket too, they’re British after all. I suppose we’ll just have to let them choose when they get older.” Gwilym smiled. “How modern of you.” You grinned wolfishly. “They’re both going to be cricket fans though. No children of mine are allowed to leave me to suffer through a whole Test series alone.” Gwilym laughed at that, and you could feel his happiness for you and Joe. You really were amazed at just how happy everyone was for you.

August

August should have been blissful. Tallulah was back from LA and Joe had arranged his schedule so he'd be working in New York until she went back to school. Even then, he didn't have much on, just a bit of press for his new movie and a few meetings. You were planning to enjoy some time as a family of three, a relaxed interlude before school returned and your family grew. But you spent only a week back together before getting a sharp reminder of some of the less-welcome aspects of life as an actor's wife.

It was Sunday morning, which meant Tallulah was watching cartoons while you and Joe unwound in the kitchen with cups of tea. The peace was suddenly shattered by the jangle of Joe’s phone. Joe glanced at the screen and then at you. “Text from Lucy” he told you. “Apparently we’re on TMZ again.” You’d been attracting a bit of paparazzi attention since appearing at the premiere of Joe’s new movie a few weeks ago, and you were starting to wonder whether they suspected something. “What are they saying?” you asked casually. “I don’t know, I haven’t found it yet” Joe grumbled, scrolling rapidly on the ipad resting on the kitchen bench. “Here we go.” He turned the screen around so you could read it.

At the top was the headline ‘Bo Rhap baby on board?’ over a picture of you and Joe walking down the street, in which your bump was clearly visible under your sundress. “Bloody hell, I knew that dress wasn’t covering anything” you cursed. “Does it matter? Everybody knows anyway” Joe pointed out. “Instagram doesn’t.” “I forgot about that” Joe commented. “Maybe it’s time they did?” he suggested. You had been hoping to hold off on a public announcement a little bit longer, but now it seemed like you didn’t have much choice. “I think it is” you agreed. You spent a lot of that Sunday planning out the perfect announcement, and you found yourself surprisingly excited at the prospect of sharing your news with the world.

The next day you had a doctor’s appointment, and you made a point of getting printouts of your latest ultrasound. You all got a clean bill of health too. When you got home Joe took some very nice pictures of you holding the printouts against your now very obvious bump, as well as some of you just cradling the bump. In the end he picked one of the latter shots to post, along with a close-up of the ultrasound photos against your stomach. Underneath them he wrote: ‘Just when I thought this year couldn’t get any bigger, this happened. Our little trio will be a family of five in January. Yep, double trouble is coming for the Mazzello-Y/L/N household next year (swipe for visual evidence). I almost can’t believe how much I love our little aliens already.’ You couldn’t help smiling when you saw the post. “Good?” Joe asked. “Very” you confirmed. “You’re so cute sometimes, you’re such a softie.”

Joe’s post was instantly deluged with happy comments from all and sundry. Even Brian left a nice message: ‘So pleased for you both. These kids will have wonderful parents, and be loved by so many others too. All the best for January! Bri’. “He’s so lovely” Joe commented. “He is” you agreed. “He’s right though.” “What, that everyone’s going to love our kids?” Joe joked. You smiled. “No, silly, the other thing.” This statement seemed to surprise your husband. “You really think I’m going to be a good dad?” “Joe, you already are” you said softly. Joe was confused. “Huh?” “You’re absolutely Tallulah’s parent at this point” you explained. “Not biologically of course, but that’s not what makes a good parent anyway.” “You think I’m a good parent?” Joe questioned, blown away by your statement. “Of course darling, do you think I would have moved across the pond for you if I didn’t?” You were joking, but only partly. Joe smiled anyway.

Joe ended up needing to fly to LA in the last week of Tallulah’s summer holidays. He was extremely put out that all his careful planning had still lead to him being away over the summer, but you assured him you could survive the last few days before school on your own. Tallulah spent two of them on a sleepover, and you took the last Friday off so you could have a long weekend with her as an end-of-summer treat. You spent most of the day doing back-to-school shopping, even though you wanted nothing more than to lounge on the couch all day. You were able to do that on Saturday, while Joe was helping Tallulah pick out her first day of school outfit via FaceTime. Joe insisted on taking on that particular parent duty, even while he was on the other side of the country. “You wouldn’t understand the importance of this,” he told you. “You always wore a uniform.” You just shrugged; you didn’t have the energy to argue. You weren’t that bothered, truth be told. You were glad to see Joe making the effort to spend some one-on-one time with Tallulah while he still could, even if it was over FaceTime. Oddly, watching them made you miss Joe more, but you knew he’d be home soon enough.

September

Joe had to stay in LA until mid-September. He was quite disappointed about missing Tallulah’s first day back at school, though she didn’t seem to mind much. She was too busy reuniting with all her friends and getting to know her new class. You were glad she was happy to be back at school, and there were a few parents you were pleased to see again too. Many of them had already heard about your impending new arrivals, and those that hadn’t were made aware by your now very obvious bump. In any case they all seemed quite happy for you, which made for a very positive first day of school on all fronts.

You went to a doctor’s appointment by yourself while Joe was away. You didn’t mind particularly, but it felt a bit odd given he’d been so involved up to that point. Doctor Baker seemed surprised to see you alone. “No Joe?” she asked casually. “He’s away” you explained. “Working in LA.” The doctor nodded in understanding. “Of course.” There was a pause while you prepared yourself for the examination. “When you’re ready we’re going to do an ultrasound” Doctor Baker explained. “We should be able to find out the genders today, if you want.” I totally forgot I was getting to that point. Do I want to know though? You hesitated to respond. Wait, does Joe want to know? He should be here when we find out. If we find out. “I think I’d prefer not to know for now” you finally told her. “We can always find out later if we decide we want to know, right?” The doctor nodded. “Absolutely. You’ll have plenty more ultrasounds after this one.” Something to look forward to, then.

Joe was pleased when you told him you hadn’t found out yet. “I definitely want to be there when we find out what we’re having” he told you, when you were FaceTiming that night. “So you want to know, then?” “Yeah” he confirmed. “Don’t you?” You shrugged. “I’m not fussed. I never found out with Loolah, and-” “You weren’t desperate to know?” Joe was shocked. “I didn’t really care what I had, it made no difference to me” you explained. “Plus I didn’t want to freak Roger out, finding out before the birth wasn’t an option in his day.” Joe grinned. “Well it is now, and I don’t want to wait four more months to find out.” You smiled contentedly. “We’ll find out when you get back then.”

Finally the day of Joe’s temporary homecoming arrived. He would have to leave again in only a fortnight, but you were very glad to be getting him back in the meantime. Joe's eyes bugged out when he saw how much you'd grown since he'd been away. "Has it really only been three weeks?!" "Growth spurt" you shrugged. "Or maybe you just didn’t notice how big I was when you left. Anyway, welcome home." You smiled, leaning in for a quick, chaste kiss before Tallulah came barrelling down the hallway to greet Joe. You decided to leave them to it, and shuffled off back to the couch. You could hear Joe clumping around for a while, chatting with Tallulah and putting his things away. Suddenly it went quiet, and then you saw your husband flop down next to you. "Hi honey. I missed you" he told you, leaning over and giving you a deep, hungry kiss. "I missed you too" you murmured, as you broke apart. Joe put his hands on your bump, leaning down to kiss it. "And I missed- what was that?" he asked frantically, eyes wide with shock at what he'd just felt. "I think that was a kick" you told him, smiling. "Keep talking." "What?" Joe asked, confused. "They seem to like your voice" you explained. "Oh. Ok. Well, um, this job kinda sucks and I don't like the director at all. I mean-" Joe stopped abruptly, staring at you with a mixture of joy and shock. "They both kicked" he murmured, looking slightly teary. "Suddenly this all feels a lot more real." "Oh it's plenty real, darling" you told him, smiling broadly. “Yeah but… they’re really real. I have actual living kids in there” Joe marvelled. “I’m actually going to be a dad.” He was practically crying at that. “It’s going to be great Joe. You’re going to be great” you assured him.

Joe’s hands barely left your bump for days. He was determined not to miss anything while he was home, no matter how small. He was particularly excited about attending your next appointment now that you were going to find out the genders of your babies. Your twins weren’t identical, so both babies would need to be checked. You and Joe were both rather antsy as the ultrasound got underway. “Ok, we’re almost there” Doctor Baker told you, smiling at your obvious excitement. She peered at the screen for a minute. “So this one is Baby A, and it’s a boy.” You turned to Joe. “A boy!” he beamed, slightly glossy eyed. Your moment was broken by Doctor Baker clearing her throat. You turned your attention back to her. “I’ve found Baby B now, and it looks like…” You felt a flutter in your belly as you saw the baby turn away from you on the screen. “Well they’re not cooperating now,” the doctor went on, “but from what I saw before it looked like a boy too.” You and Joe were quiet as you digested the news. Two boys. Bloody hell. Your reverie was broken by Doctor Baker’s voice. “I feel I should warn you, with the ultrasound we can’t guarantee what we tell you is right, but I’m pretty confident about Baby A being a boy.” “You’re not confident about Baby B?” Joe asked her. “Not entirely, I didn’t get a very good look before they decided to hide.” “It’s fine” you assured her, wanting to get on with the appointment before Joe got worked up. Whatever happened, you’d deal with it when the time came.

October

Joe spent quite a lot of October flying back and forth between work in LA and your home in New York. His shooting schedule turned out to involve a lot of three day breaks, just long enough for a quick visit home. You would have quite liked to spend most of them relaxing together, but Joe was determined to do as much baby preparation as possible while he was home, to save you the effort. He was thrilled to be having twin boys, and had dived into nursery set-up with gusto. He was determined to get the big things like the cribs sorted out nice and early, just in case. “You’re having twins, they’re likely to come early” he reminded you after you told him for the umpteenth time to relax. “They’re not due for months, Joe. Besides, the doctor said everything’s on track for January.” Your husband wouldn’t be persuaded. “Things can change very quickly. You never know when something might happen.” You stopped arguing the point when you realised he was never going to change his mind, and eventually Joe admitted he was doing it because he felt guilty about leaving you alone at home so much.

You weren’t actually alone very often though. There was Tallulah, of course, and plenty of your friends and family were dropping in regularly to check up on you (you suspected Joe might have told them how he worried about you). Joe’s mother was a frequent visitor, spurred by the desire to both help you and reassure her son. One afternoon you were sat with her drinking tea, not long after Joe had FaceTimed you. “So how was the daddy-to-be?” she asked. You smiled. “Same as usual. Annoyed he’s not here, missing us desperately.” Joe’s mother smiled affectionately. “Didn’t want to talk about work then.” “He never does” you told her. Suddenly Tallulah trotted up to the couch. “Did you say Daddy?” she asked eagerly. “We were talking about Joe, darling” you explained. Tallulah was confused. “But he’s not Daddy.” “He’s not” you agreed. “But he’s their daddy.” You patted your swollen belly, indicated Tallulah’s unborn siblings. “Oh.” Tallulah looked thoughtful; you wondered whether she understood. “Does that mean I have to call Joe Daddy when the babies come?” she finally asked. You smiled reassuringly. “Not if you don’t want to. But other people might” you explained. “Oh. Ok.” Tallulah looked unhappy at this development. “Could I make a suggestion?” Joe’s mum asked gently. “Loolah, do you remember how I told you Joe’s half-Italian?” Tallulah nodded. “Well the Italian word for daddy is ‘papa’. Maybe you could call him that instead?” “Papa…” Tallulah pronounced the word experimentally, testing how it sounded. Suddenly she smiled. “I like it!” She wasn’t the only one. Joe beamed when he heard her greet him with a happy “Hi Papa!” on FaceTime. We’re really a family now, aren’t we.

November

Joe had hoped his work schedule would continue to allow him frequent trips to see you, but it was not to be. He had one break before Thanksgiving, for a single day, which he spent alone in LA, desperately wishing he was home. As the weeks rolled on he was increasingly worried about how you were managing on your own. “I’m not on my own, Joe” you assured him down the phone. “Your mum visits twice a week, and Lucy texts me five times a day to check on me.” Lucy was coming to New York to spend Thanksgiving with Rami, and you were already making extensive plans to get together while she was in town. “I know she is, Rami told me” Joe grumbled. “I’m just worried that you’ll be alone with Tallulah and something’ll happen and I won’t be there to help.” His concern for you was evident in the tone of his voice. “Tallulah’s seven, babe, she’s perfectly capable of calling someone if we need help” you pointed out. “I suppose…” Joe sighed. “But what if they come early and I’m not there?” “You’re going to be back a month before they’re due, and even the doctor thinks they’re unlikely to come before Christmas.” Or so you thought.

Joe finally came home for Thanksgiving weekend, and the day after the holiday you had yet another appointment with Doctor Baker. Carrying twins meant you needed frequent checkups to make sure things continued to progress smoothly. This time you got some unexpected, and not entirely welcome, news. “So are you all ready for these guys to arrive?” the doctor asked pleasantly, while you were tidying yourself up after your examination. “Uh, kind of” you and Joe both stuttered. Doctor Baker looked slightly worried. “Well, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think you should be aware that realistically you could go into labour really any time from now on.” You were both shocked. “But isn’t it still too early?” you asked, suddenly scared. “I mean. I’m not due for another seven weeks.” Doctor Baker hurried to reassure you. “That’s true, and at this point it’s early enough that our first move would be to try and stop the labour, but that doesn’t always work.” You and Joe looked at each other with concern, not particularly reassured. “Look, I don’t think you’re going to go into labour tomorrow, and even if you did I would expect your babies to be absolutely fine” the doctor told you calmly. “But I would be prepared for them to arrive some time before Christmas.” “But that’s still three weeks early at least!” you spluttered. “Three weeks early is nearly full term” Doctor Baker said calmly. “And twins are very often born early. Not always, but it’s very common. In any case, I’m only telling you this because I think it would be a good idea if you started to make a plan now for what you want to happen when your babies do come. Just in case, you know. It never hurts to be prepared.” “Of course Doctor. Thanks for the advice” Joe replied, sounding calmer than he looked as you left the doctor’s office.

On your drive home Joe let the façade drop. “They can’t come yet, I’m about to be away for two weeks” he said, seemingly on the verge of panic. “And it’s still so early, what if one of them’s sick?” “They won’t be, Joe, we’re in good hands” you told him, not entirely believing it yourself. “Anyway, we definitely need to make a plan. I don’t want them to come while you’re not here either, but I’d much rather be at least somewhat prepared if they do.” “You’re right” Joe sighed. “When we get home we’ll work something out.”

In the end the plan you came up with mostly involved going to the hospital and ringing Joe as soon as possible so he could get on the next plane home. “What if I don’t get there in time though?” He fretted. “I’ll make sure to record it for you” you reassured him. “But they’re my first kids, I want to be there. I’m supposed to go through it with you!” You wrapped your arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. “I know, darling, I want you with me too. But sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want, and that’s ok.” Joe shook his head. “No it’s not. I don’t want to be that dad who wasn’t even there when his kids were born.” “You could never be that dad, Joe” you reassured him, pulling him close. “If you do end up missing it, it won’t be your fault at all.” Your husband suddenly peered intently at you. “How are you so calm about this?” “Last time I had a baby I had absolutely no way of knowing if the father would be there, and neither did he” you pointed out. “As much as he wanted to be there, neither of us had any control over it. This time we do, and I know you’ll move heaven and earth to get here in time if it comes down to it.” Joe still wasn’t entirely soothed, but he at least had faith you would be alright, whatever happened.

The knowledge that the babies could come at any time made Joe more worried than ever about leaving you alone while he was on the other side of the country. Fortunately, your wonderful friends were more than happy to step in when they were informed of the situation. Lucy was staying in New York until New Year’s, so she organised to visit you every day she could while Joe was away, and she promised to send Rami on the days she couldn’t. She even volunteered to be your hospital buddy if necessary. Ben also happily offered support, though of a slightly different kind.

“Uh, babe, would you be okay with a houseguest while I’m away?” Joe asked you at dinner, the night before he was due to fly back to LA. “Depends who it is” you said casually. “Why?” “Ben’s in town for press next week, and we thought maybe he could stay here, help you with Loolah til I get back.” That would be helpful. “How long’s he here for?” you inquired. “Two weeks, we’re gonna hang out for a couple days when he’s done working” Joe explained. “When’s he get here?” “Monday week” Joe told you. I’d only have to spend a week alone while Joe’s not here. You smiled. “Okay then.” Relief swept over Joe’s face. “Oh good. I feel a lot better about leaving you now I know you won’t be alone” he told you. “In the meantime I’m telling them they’re to stay put until you’re home again” you said firmly.

December

True to her word, Lucy had visited you nearly every day after Joe returned to LA. The first day after Joe left turned out to be the one day she wasn’t free, so Rami dropped in to check on you instead. He insisted it was no trouble, despite his busy schedule. “I had a day off today, I wasn’t busy” he told you, after you thanked him for making time to see you. “Anyway, I’m always here for you and Joe. Me and Lucy. If you need anything, honestly, just call us, anytime. Even the middle of the night, we won’t mind. Seriously, we’re here to help however we can.” “Thanks, Rami” you murmured, hearing the sincerity in his words.

The first week without Joe passed surprisingly quickly, and before you knew it the day of Ben’s arrival was upon you. You were looking forward to having some adult company, but you were slightly nervous too. You’d never spent any substantial time alone with Ben, and now he was going to be sharing your house for a fortnight. Tallulah, on the other hand, was extremely excited about one of her favourite people coming to stay. So excited, in fact, that she tried to stay home from school to be there when he arrived. You eventually won the battle, but the whole process of getting her to school tired you out so much that you spent a lot of the morning napping on your couch. You awoke to the telltale sound of a car in the driveway, and waddled as fast as you could to the front door, opening it just in time to see a cab disgorge Ben, a large suitcase and two other bags.

Ben smiled when he saw you in the doorway. “Y/N!” he called out happily. “Don’t come out, I can sort myself. Go and sit down, I won’t be long.” You made agreeing noises, realising you wouldn’t be much help with anything in your present state. Besides, you were officially banned from heavy lifting, you wouldn’t even be able to help carry something. Several minutes of shuffling and yelling directions up and down your stairs later, Ben was settled into your guest room. When he came downstairs again he was smiling warmly. “It really is good to see you again, love.” “You too” you agreed. Ben’s eyes went wide when he finally got a good look at you, and your enormous bump. “God, you’re…” He trailed off, looking apologetic. “Go on, say it. It’s fine” you assured him. “Well then, you’re kind of huge. Joe’s told me about the bump, hell he’s even shown me pictures, but seeing the real thing… how do you even get that big and not, like, break?” “With great difficulty” you quipped. You weren’t offended by Ben’s honest reaction, you knew he was just a bit shocked.

Five minutes later you were sat on the couch nursing a cup of tea while Ben made himself a coffee. You were quite grateful to be sitting down as the monsters were suddenly restless. “I’m done here, do you want anything else?” Ben called from the kitchen. “I’m good” you called back. Ben returned to the couch to see you holding your tea rather gingerly while looking uncomfortable. “Are you alr- … what is that?” His eyes widened when he glanced at your bump and realised it was moving. You smiled reassuringly. “They’re just kicking. D’you wanna feel?” Ben grinned eagerly. “Yeah! If that’s ok with you?” “Of course it is. C’mere.” He’s so lovely. Half the planet doesn’t even bother asking before touching the bump. You placed his hand over the spot the babies were kicking at. His jaw dropped at the feeling. “That’s so weird! It must be weirder for you though, feeling that from inside.” You grinned. “It is a bit, but it’s sort of reassuring too, getting to feel that they’re still there, still ok.” Ben smiled. “Well it seems pretty cool to me.” You grinned back. “Oh, it’s very cool.”

Tallulah was very excited to come home and find Ben waiting for her. “Benny!” She yelled, running over to embrace him. “Loolah!” He cried back. “You’ve grown so much since I saw you, you’re getting so big!” He gushed. “I heard you’re going to be a big sister soon too.” She nodded seriously. “Mommy’s having two babies. That’s why she’s so big.” Ben smiled. “I heard. Now come into the lounge room, I’ve got a present for you.” He smiled at you on the way past. “I’ve got a present for Mummy too.”

Ben had brought your daughter a kid’s cricket set, complete with plastic wickets. “She’s English, she shouldn’t be playing bloody softball” he quipped. “Also Gwilym may have told me I have to save her before she goes native.” You just laughed. For you, Ben had brought over a big jar of marmite and two large packs of Jaffa Cakes. “Joe told me you’d been craving them” he explained. You were surprised. “Joe talks to you guys about pregnancy stuff?” Ben smiled exasperatedly. “Mate, he hardly shuts up about it.” You smiled affectionately. “Not that it’s not cute how excited he is,” Ben said hurriedly, “but he’s barely talked about anything else for months.” Okay, I can see how that could get annoying. Still adorable though.

Ben slotted surprisingly easily into the routines of your household. He was out working or socialising at various times of the day or night, but when he was home he was an excellent guest. He took Tallulah to and from school as often as possible, knowing leaving the house was fast becoming a big effort for you. He also insisted on doing as much housework as he could, helping you with washing, cooking and cleaning whenever he had time. “Joe’d have my head if he thought I’d left you to do everything in your condition” Ben joked one day, after you’d told him for the umpteenth time you were fine to do light chores. You didn’t particularly mind, if you were really honest, you actually quite liked having an extra adult around.

Joe finally came home in the second week of December. You shared a very long hug in the doorway when he finally made it home. He nearly cried with relief when he saw you. Of course he’d already known that you were ok before he left LA, but he’d spent two weeks worrying about what ifs, not to mention the several interminable hours he spent unable to talk to you on the plane. “If we ever have another I’m staying home the whole time, I never want to deal with that much worry again” he declared later. That night Ben had dinner at home with the three of you. Joe had wanted to go out, but he took one look at your expression when he suggested it and immediately changed his mind. During the meal he took a picture with Ben, which he posted to Instagram with the caption ‘Finally reunited.’ Naturally, his comments exploded in minutes, but he was too focused on catching up with both of you to care.

You were so looking forward to spending a few days just relaxing with Joe now that he was finally home. But apparently your children had other plans. The very next morning you lurched awake at 5am with a sharp pain in your belly. You didn't think much of it initially, you'd been having all sorts of pains on and off for weeks. Then you realised you were lying in a wet patch. Well shit. "Joe." You tried to shake your husband awake gently. "Joe, wake up." "What?" he groaned, still mostly asleep. "I think my waters broke" you said urgently. He lurched upright. "It's go time? Even though it’s still five weeks early?" he asked, suddenly awake. "Looks like it" you said dryly. Joe leapt out of bed, looking frantic. "Shit. Ok. We need to get the bag, and get dressed, and-" "Joe, calm down. There's no need to rush, we've got plenty of time" you reassured your frantic husband. He immediately stopped babbling. "Well, you're the expert." You smiled. "Help me get dressed?" you requested. "Of course babe." Joe's eyes were soft and loving as he spoke. It took only a few minutes for you both to be ready to leave the house. But you had a couple more things to attend to before you could head to the hospital.

First Joe helped you across the landing to the guest bedroom currently occupied by Ben. He entered quietly with you waddling behind him. "Ben" he whispered urgently, nudging his friend, "Ben, come on." It didn't work, so Joe reached across to hit him gently with a spare pillow. "Ben!" Ben rolled over, groaning, only to snap awake at the sight of the two of you leaning over his bed. "What, what's going on?" he asked, concerned. "The babies are coming" Joe explained. "We have to go to the hospital." "Perfect timing" Ben quipped. "Yeah, if this had happened this time yesterday you’d have been driving me" you joked. "Look, I’m pretty glad this guys held off until now" Joe cut in. "But anyway, I know you're here for work but can you do us a huge favour and watch Tallulah today?" he added, pleading a little with his eyes. Ben smiled. "Of course I can. I think I'm actually free today anyway" the blond man told you both. "Great!" you smiled. "Now brace yourself, she's probably going to come and jump on you after we wake her." "So make sure you're decent under there" Joe added, as he helped you out of the room. Ben just groaned. It was too early in the day for humour.

You had one more stop before leaving. Tallulah's room. "Loolie?" you said quietly, reaching over from the chair next to her bed. "Mommy?" she replied in surprise, peering at you sleepily. "It's ok darling, I just wanted to tell you the babies are coming today" you reassured her. "Today?" Tallulah echoed. "Yes, darling. Joe's taking me to the hospital in a minute" you told her gently. "Ben's going to stay and look after you, so be good for him, okay?" you instructed. "Yes Mommy" she murmured back. "Ok, big sister, I'll see you later" you said happily, leaning over to hug your daughter. "I love you" you whispered into her wavy blonde hair. "Love you Mommy" she whispered back. You felt oddly emotional as you kissed her goodbye and left the room. Next time I see her she'll be a big sister.

You managed to stay calm while Joe helped you into the car. But almost as soon as you started moving you burst into tears. "You ok?" Joe asked casually. Your weird moods were nothing exceptional any more. "Mostly" you told him. "It's just hit me as we were leaving that Tallulah's not going to be my only child after today" you explained. "That's a good thing, though, isn't it?" he replied, concerned. "Of course it is" you assured him. "It's just that, it was just me and her for so long, and even after you came along we were so close, and now it's not going to be like that any more" you explained, rather sadly. "Babe, you're not going to lose your bond with Loolah just because you've got other kids to raise" Joe reassured you. "I mean, it's going to be different now, but a good different, right?" "Yeah, good different" you agreed. "Plus, she's so pumped to be a big sister, it's gonna be so cute" he told you, smiling.

It was fairly quick, in the end. You had wondered whether Doctor Baker would attempt to stop the labour, but she told you the best option at this point was to let it happen. “You’re far enough along that your babies are more or less fully developed, even though they’re not quite full term” she assured you. “They’re very healthy, they’ll be perfectly fine.” She also gave you an injection soon after you arrived at the hospital to help the babies’ lungs develop. I don’t think it’ll have much time to work, but I suppose even a little bit helps.

Joe stayed at your side for almost the entire labour, holding your hand, rubbing your back and doing anything and everything you needed him to. Finally, just before noon, the first baby arrived. "Here he is!" Doctor Baker called out, as his piercing cries filled the room. You were flooded with relief when you heard it. His lungs must be ok then. Joe sniffled as he cut the cord, and then there was a sudden flurry of activity on the other side of the room as various people descended to check the baby over, concerned about the potential consequences of his early birth. The doctor had told you earlier that a team from the NICU would be present to check both babies immediately after delivery, but you couldn’t help worrying at the sight of the crowd around your tiny son. He was only five weeks early, but what if something was wrong? Fortunately, nobody in the room seemed overly concerned so far.

Moments later, calm descended, and a nurse came over to you, carrying your son in a loose blanket. "He’s a bit small, but he’s totally healthy” she told you, smiling. “You want to help keep him warm while we wait for the other baby?" she asked. You shook your head. "Dad gets first go" you told her, smiling. Joe was wide-eyed with wonder as she placed his baby on his exposed chest for skin-to-skin bonding, showing him how to support his son's body correctly. "Hey buddy" he murmured, in a sing-song voice. His overjoyed face when he looked over to you, barely holding back happy tears, was a memory you would treasure forever. "We have a son babe" he marvelled. "I have a son."

You smiled, then suddenly groaned. "I think we're about to have another o-aaargghhh!" "Alright Y/N, time to push again" Doctor Baker said brightly. Well duh. You could have slapped her if she'd been in reach. But then you looked back at Joe, happily cradling your son on his chest, while trying to hold your hand at the same time and looking desperately conflicted, and you suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over you. It was strangely grounding as you gathered your remaining strength. Doctor Baker started gently talking you through the process, but your energy was rapidly running out. "Almost there Y/N, one more push now" she instructed you. "I can't do it any more," you cried, "I'm too tired." "You're so close now, just one more push" the doctor encouraged. "I can't" you cried again, shaking your head. Suddenly Joe squeezed your hand. "Babe, look at me" he said, voice low and soft. You turned to see him wearing an expression that was somehow adoring and determined at the same time. "I know you're tired, but you're so so close to the finish line. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met, I know you can do this" he told you encouragingly. "Ok" you replied in a small voice. Joe smiled at you adoringly. "Now let's go. I'm right here with you." You gripped his hand tightly as you summoned one final effort. Moments later crying rang out through the room once again.

"Well done Y/N, you did it… oh, and it's a girl!" Doctor Baker announced. "What?!" you and Joe yelled simultaneously. "You said they were boys!" he spluttered, utterly shocked as he leant over to cut the cord again. You were rapidly becoming too exhausted to care much. The doctor was unfazed. "Well, I was wrong" she responded calmly. "Ultrasounds can be tricky to read sometimes, especially with twins. But I made a mistake, and I'm sorry about that." "It's ok" you replied. Joe still looked indignant, but at that moment a nurse came and placed your tiny daughter on your chest. His expression softened immediately, and he quickly broke into happy tears. "One of each" he sniffled, gazing between his newborn children. "We've got one of each now." You just smiled contentedly. "Yeah we do." Joe leaned over to kiss you gently. “You’re amazing honey, you really are. I love you so much.” You smiled contentedly at him “I love you too dear.”

You could have stayed there forever, you thought, just gazing at the two little beings you’d created. They would need to go to NICU soon, but they were breathing well and doing everything they were supposed to, so you were given some time to bond first. You spent the first half hour enjoying first cuddles and skin-to-skin time. You were actually encouraged to go skin-to-skin as much as possible to help the babies regulate their body temperatures. You were hardly complaining though. Joe eventually got out his phone to take some photos of you and the twins. You were very pleased you managed to capture some of him too, especially the heartwarming expression on his face when he did skin-to-skin with both babies at once for the first time. Soon after he took a similar picture of you, which he promptly sent to Ben to announce the birth. “Couldn’t resist, sorry. You just look so happy.” “So do you” you told Joe, grinning. He smiled. “I feel ridiculously happy right now.” Thirty seconds later Joe’s phone buzzed. “Ben says congratulations” he told you. “Oh, and he’s told Tallulah. He wants to know if he can bring her in to meet them yet.” Joe looked at you with concern. “Should we let him? Will they be ok?” he asked nervously. “Joe, they’re basically fine” you reassured him. “I’m sure the doctor would have told us if visitors weren’t allowed.” You smiled. “Tell him to head in. It’ll be nicer for Loolie to see them now anyway, before they go in the incubators.” Three minutes later Ben texted again saying they were on their way, and you and Joe spent a few minutes making yourselves presentable before settling in to wait.

Suddenly a pair of blond heads poked through the door. "Are you ready for a visitor?" Ben asked, smiling gently. "Definitely" Joe smiled. Ben stepped aside to reveal Tallulah, who rushed into the room with a happy cry. Joe stopped her just inside the door. "We need to be quiet and gentle, okay? The babies are delicate, we don't want to hurt them by accident" he explained. "Ok" Tallulah nodded gravely. Joe led her to your bed, where the babies were resting against your chest. "Hello Mommy" she said quietly. "Hi Loolie" you replied. "You're a big sister darling!" you told her happily. "Come and sit next to me so you can see them." "Ok" Tallulah beamed. There was a bit of awkward shuffling while Joe arranged a chair for her. During this interlude you glanced up to see Ben lurking at the door to your room. "You're allowed to come in, you know" you commented. "Oh, I don't want to intrude…" he muttered, slightly embarrassed. "You could never" Joe reassured his friend. Ben smiled at that. "Well, if you're sure…" "Yes" you and Joe insisted simultaneously. "Come on, I'll grab you a seat" Joe added, trotting off immediately.

You turned your attention back to Tallulah, now sat near your head. "Darling, this is your brother Joey" you told her, pointing to the baby on the right. "And this" you added, indicating the other baby, "is your sister. She doesn't have a name yet." Tallulah's face lit up at this news. "I have a brother and a sister? Cool!" You had to smile at how pleased she was. "Wait, she's a girl? I thought they were both boys" Ben chimed in, from his spot facing Tallulah's chair. "Yeah, so did we" Joe quipped. "It was a nice surprise though" he added, voice softening enormously. You smiled quietly to yourself for a brief moment, before Tallulah's voice broke through your reverie. "Can I hold them Mommy?" "Of course" you smiled. "Who do you want to hold first?"

You had expected Tallulah might be extra pleased to have a sister, but she was equally entranced by both babies, evidently thrilled just to have siblings of her own. She seemed very comfortable holding them too, despite Joe’s nervous hovering and many reminders to “be gentle, they’re delicate.” Clearly she was a natural big sister. Ben, too, looked like a natural with a newborn in his arms, even if he was a little freaked out by just how small your babies were. "He's so little" he cooed, after being handed Joey by Tallulah, who was now gently cuddling her new sister. "Seriously, I don't think I've seen a baby this tiny before, and I've definitely never held one." "You're not nervous are you?" you asked half-seriously. "Little bit" Ben admitted. "I'm worried I'll accidentally hurt him cos he seems so fragile." Joe smiled reassuringly. "You're doing great, man" he told his friend. "They actually are kinda small though, even for newborns. But you’ll be fine, don’t worry about it." You thought both babies did look particularly tiny against Ben's muscly frame, but you said nothing. Joe, though, snapped a very sweet picture of Ben holding your daughter on his phone. “I have to preserve this image for posterity” he told you. Ben took some pictures too, after he handed the babies back to you and Joe. Your favourite was the shot he got of your whole family, gazing adoringly at its newest members. "You look so happy, guys" he commented, showing you the picture afterwards. You and Joe smiled contentedly at him. "We are" you replied. And you were.

You were well enough to be released after three nights in hospital. The twins, however, were required to stay in NICU for a few more days. “It’s mainly for observation” their doctor told you. “They’re doing very well, we just want to be sure there’s no issues before we let them go home.” You were reassured there were no concerns about your babies’ health, but it didn’t make it any easier to be forcibly separated from them, even if it was only when you went home at night.

The many hours spent watching over the twins in NICU proved somewhat useful, as you and Joe were now faced with the unexpected dilemma of choosing a name for your newborn daughter. You’d agreed long ago that your first son would be officially named after Joe, though you’d decided to nickname him Joey to avoid confusion. But discussions about girls’ names hadn’t gone very far before you’d been given the impression you were having twin boys. Since that impression had turned out to be incorrect, you were now facing an uphill battle to agree on a name for your little girl.

"Madison?" Joe suggested. "No. Too American" you responded instantly. “You do realise she is American?” Joe pointed out. You didn’t particularly care. “Only half. Anyway I don’t like the name. Any other ideas?” "Fine” Joe huffed. “Uh, Amy?” You considered it for a moment. “Amy Mazzello. Mhmm, maybe.” “Maybe?” Joe spluttered. “Well what’ve you got then?” “Matilda?” You offered. “I don’t like it” Joe replied. “Way too English. And, Matilda Mazzello?” “Yeah, that doesn’t sound great” you conceded. “Ooh I know! Poet” Joe suggested. You didn’t like it. “God no. We’re not Hollywood hippies, Joe” “You totally are a hippy” he snorted. You quirked your eyebrows. “What makes you say that?” “Uh, you called your first kid Tallulah Rainbow?” he pointed out. “Tallulah is a perfectly respectable name!” You protested. “Besides, the Rainbow part came from her father, not me.” “That… kind of makes sense” Joe conceded. “Still a bit hippy though.” “It’s really not” you grumbled, explaining the significance of the Rainbow Theatre in Tallulah’s life story. “Actually, that’s quite sweet” Joe admitted. Nevertheless, you and Joe were still struggling to find any names you both liked.

In the end, the solution arrived from a rather unexpected source: miss Tallulah Rainbow herself. “Amber” she suggested, when you asked if she had any name ideas to offer her sister. “Amber…” you and Joe considered. “Amber Mazzello…” “I like that” Joe told you. “So do I” you agreed. Joe feigned shock. “We both like it? I don’t believe it!” “Oh shut up” you grumped. “Anyway, do we want to try and find a middle name we can agree on, or just give her one name and be done with it?” “Actually, I was hoping we could slot in a Queen reference somewhere” Joe admitted. “I was thinking maybe her middle name could be Mercury?” “That’s such a cool name” Ben interjected. “It is” you agreed. “So, Amber Mercury Mazzello?” Joe suggested, carefully sounding out the full name for the first time. “Amber Mercury Mazzello” you repeated. “I love it.”

You felt bad for messing up Ben's plans, but you could also see that having him around was an utter godsend while the twins were still in hospital. Despite supposedly being in town for work, he spent a lot of that week looking after Tallulah and generally being helpful around the house. This had the dual benefit of freeing you and Joe to spend most of your time with the twins, and ensuring Tallulah didn’t feel too left out in all the chaos. Ben did end up having to cancel a couple of interviews, but he didn’t mind too much. “They were group interviews, the rest of the cast still went, it’s fine” he assured you over dinner one night. "Besides, one of them was with Screenstuff, so I’m quite happy to have missed that." “With Marcie?” Joe asked, in a very sympathetic tone. “Yep” Ben replied. “Uhh, Screenstuff?” You asked. “Entertainment website. Marcie’s their main movie reporter and she’s… not the brightest” Joe explained. “Has a really obvious thing for Ben too.” You were confused. “Is… is that a bad thing?” “It is when I’m trying to promote a project and my body is all they ask about” Ben clarified. “Apparently she got all miffed when I didn’t turn up today, said half her questions were for me” he told Joe. Joe whistled. “Bet that went down well.” A sudden thought occurred to you. “You didn’t tell them where you were, did you?” you asked frantically. “Only the other cast members, and they didn’t tell anyone” he assured you. “They just told the reporters I was sick, no one’s going to work it out, don’t worry.” You were very relieved, seeing as no-one outside your immediate circle knew the babies had arrived yet, and you wanted to keep it that way at least until they were out of hospital.

Finally, the big day arrived. The twins were finally released from hospital after six days in NICU. Joe was a bundle of nervous excitement as he very carefully placed them in their carseats and drove you all home. The excitement seemed to win out for most of the day, until you put both babies down for an afternoon nap. As you sank gratefully onto the couch, you noticed Joe staring into space with a rather stricken expression. “What’s up, love?” “It just hit me a minute ago…” he mumbled. “What just hit you?” You had a hunch about what was bothering him, but you wanted to hear him say it. “I just realised I’m now responsible for two whole human beings for the rest of my life, and I’m freaked out” he told you. “Like, I’m super happy that they’re here and they’re healthy and they’re ours, but…” You smiled gently. “I know you are, dear, I am too.” Joe suddenly looked at you with confusion. “Wait, why aren’t you freaking out right now?” “Been here before,” you said airily, “I’m still a little freaked out, I just knew it was coming.” You paused. “Plus, it’s less scary this time” you added. “It’s not so new and different, and I’ve got you.” Joe smiled at that. “Indeed you do. You’re not slightly terrified by having two though?” You waved a hand. “We’ll manage. There’s two of them, but there’s two of us too.”

Joe was slightly startled the following afternoon when he picked up his phone and realised he hadn’t even looked at Instagram in nearly a week. “It’s so weird” he muttered, scrolling through everything he’d missed. You wondered what he’d seen. “What’s weird?” “It feels like my whole world’s… shifted since I got home, but on Instagram everything seems exactly the same” he explained. “Even my Insta looks like I’ve just been hanging out with Ben all week, but I’ve barely seen him.” “Everyone knows Insta’s mostly not real life” you reassured him. “Yeah,” Joe agreed, “but this is such a huge thing in my life and it’s not there at all.” “Well, if you wanna announce it, feel free. We’ve told all our friends and families now anyway” you pointed out. Joe grinned excitedly. “You’re ready to tell the world about them?” “Absolutely.”

Joe agonised over his baby announcement post. In the end he picked a picture you’d taken of him with the twins dozing on his chest. He posted it with a lengthy caption: ‘So this week I was supposed to be relaxing with Ben… Instead I spent most of it at the hospital since these guys decided to make their entrance last Saturday, five weeks early. Everyone’s healthy, they just needed a bit of time to adjust to life earthside. Anyway, meet my new favourite people: Joseph Francis IV (but we’re calling him Joey) and Amber Mercury (she’s in the dino onesie) Mazzello. Also my wife is amazing and I love her so much more than I can ever express.’ Gwilym very quickly commented ‘So incredibly happy for all of you. Can’t wait to get over and meet these cuties!’ Lucy just posted a line of heart eyes emojis. Later on Brian left a lengthy note. ‘Delighted to hear these two arrived safe and healthy, if a bit ahead of schedule. Hopefully everyone’s adjusting well to their new roles. Huge congratulations and warmest wishes to you all. Bri’. Even Ben eventually chimed in: ‘They’ve stolen my man but they’re so cute I’m not even mad.’

The next day you got a rude shock, when you realised that despite the lavishly decorated tree in your lounge room you and Joe had entirely forgotten Christmas was nearly upon you. By the time you remembered it was only a week away. “There’s so much to do” you fretted to Joe. “We’ve got to wrap everything and do cards and… shit, two of our kids don’t even have any presents yet.” “They’re a week old, I don’t think they’re gonna care” your husband tried to reassure you. It didn’t help. “But it’s their first Christmas, they’ve got to have something” you insisted. Joe smiled reassuringly. “Well in that case, I’d better go shopping tomorrow” he declared, kissing you gently.

Joe went out alone the next day. But he had a surprise for you. “You were worried about getting everything sorted in time, so I’ve called in reinforcements” he told you as he was leaving. You quirked an eyebrow. “Reinforcements?” “Lucy’s coming over later to help you out” he explained. It wasn’t the solution you’d been expecting, but it turned out to be a good one. With Lucy’s help you made surprisingly quick work of your to-do list, and by the time Joe got home the house was tastefully decorated and there was a small pile neatly wrapped presents under the tree. She even helped Tallulah bake and ice some Christmas biscuits for you all. Her reward was some time spent cooing over your sleepy newborns. “They’re beautiful, lovie!” All in all, everyone ended the day satisfied.

Christmas Day was fairly peaceful in the end. You enjoyed a relaxing morning opening gifts at home ahead of Christmas dinner with Joe’s family. You and Joe had agreed not to go overboard on presents this year, knowing you’d have a lot of other things going on at Christmastime. But Joe did manage to sneak in a small surprise for you. “From Joey and Amber” he said, handing over one last parcel with a soft smile. You delicately undid the wrapping to uncover a framed copy of the picture Ben had taken of the five of you in hospital the day the twins were born. “Oh, it’s lovely!” you gushed, leaning over to hug Joe. “Thank you.” “Don’t thank me, they got it for you” he replied, grinning. You smiled. “You must have helped though.” “That I did” Joe agreed. “Well thank you for helping them” you told him, leaning in for a chaste kiss. “You’re the best.”

Joe’s family were very excited about meeting the twins, of course, but Tallulah had a lot of fun too, playing with her cousins and generally enjoying all the little treats of the day. You were glad to see her having fun; you’d been worried she might end up feeling a bit left out in all the fuss over her new siblings. She was very disappointed when you had to leave soon after the meal to get the babies home before their bedtime but she seemed happy enough to spend the rest of the evening watching movies and enjoying her presents.

Your family spent Boxing Day largely doing as little as possible. As always everyone was a bit flat after the excitement of Christmas Day. Except for Tallulah, who was very much looking forward to seeing Roger the next day. He arrived in the afternoon, and came to your house almost immediately to take Tallulah out for afternoon tea. You could tell by the way she was beaming when they returned that she had enjoyed the individual attention. Her expression seemed to highlight her resemblance to her father. Roger was slightly startled when he noticed. “Gosh, I’d never realised how much she takes after me.” “She looks more like you every day lately” you told him. “She’s grown up so much since I saw her last” Roger mused. “Well she is a big sister now” you pointed out. He smiled. “Ah yes. How’s she going with that, by the way?” “Very well, actually” you replied. “I was expecting her to be a bit jealous, but so far she just adores the twins. She loves holding them. Even got them Christmas presents.” Roger smiled with pride. “Well that’s good to hear. Hopefully the adoration continues.” You weren’t convinced it would but you still smiled. “Yeah, hopefully.”

Roger had booked into a hotel, but he still stayed at your house until well past dinnertime every day of his visit. Tallulah was clearly very appreciative of the time with her father, even if she didn’t say it out loud. The days of Roger’s trip sped by, and suddenly it was New Year’s Eve, again. The day held many happy memories for you, but this year was going to be very different. Joe had called off his traditional party, knowing none of you had the energy for a late night. Instead, you were having a sort of open house afternoon to give all your friends an opportunity to meet Joey and Amber at a time that was easy for your family. Adjusting to looking after twin newborns was exhausting enough without trying to find the energy to organise visits every other day. Of course a few of your close friends had dropped in already, but they were a select group amongst your wider acquaintance.

You were amazed at just how many people showed up to meet the twins and have some lunch with you. Even Gwilym made an appearance. “Surprise!” he declared, grinning widely. “I had some time off, and I’ve been dying to see you all, so here I am.” He was amazed when he got his first glimpse of the twins. “Christ, I thought Ben was exaggerating when he told me how tiny they were.” “Would you believe they’ve already grown since Ben saw them?” Joe asked, beaming with pride. To be fair, they did still look ridiculously small in Gwilym’s arms. “They’re not that tiny now, are they?” Joe asked you in an undertone, as you both watched Gwilym enjoying his first cuddles. You smiled reassuringly. “They’re still a bit on the small side. But Gwil is also a bloody tree of a man, he’s making them look even smaller.” Joe laughed at that.

Gwilym stayed all afternoon, helping here and there and generally enjoying some rare time with Joe. His relaxed mood seemed to have spread throughout your house that day, though the energy lifted considerably when Rami and Lucy finally arrived. Naturally Gwilym was thrilled to see them both, and they spent a long time lounging on your couches catching up. People gradually started to leave as the afternoon wore on, and eventually they were the only guests left other than Roger. Lucy smiled when she noticed this.

“Now that we’re alone, lovies, we’ve got something for you” she declared. Rami gently handed over a bulging gift bag. “Christmas presents. From all of us” he said softly. You started to protest but he waved it away. “Just open them. There’s something for all of you in there.” Indeed there was. The bag held a number of packages, each containing part of a matching set of red baseball shirts, made to look like the D-backs uniform from Undrafted. Yours and Tallulah’s had your surname on the back; the others were labelled Mazzello. Two of these were very small, although closer to toddler than newborn size. Rami looked apologetic. “That was the smallest we could get.” “Rami, they’re perfect” you reassured him. “They really are” Joe chimed in, sounding rather emotional. “Thanks man.” Lucy smiled. “I told him the important thing was that they matched.” You glanced at Joe, wondering why he was so incredibly touched by the gift. “You’re all on my team” he explained, before you could even open your mouth to speak. “You’re my family, even if you don’t all have my name, you’re all mine.” You smiled. “Honey, of course we’re yours. We’re your team.”

You were still cuddling Joe when Roger suddenly appeared next to you carrying a couple of parcels. “I brought you a little something too” he said sheepishly. “The top one’s from Brian, by the way.” Joe looked surprised. “Brian sent us a baby gift?” Roger smiled. “Of course. That’s what friends do, you know.” Brian had given the twins a stuffed badger and a fluffy hedgehog. “Just a little reminder of their roots” the card said. You and Joe both laughed. “Brian and his hedgehogs. Typical.” Roger’s parcel contained a pair of onesies. One had a photo of John Deacon printed on the front, while the other featured Freddie Mercury. “I heard her middle name and I just couldn’t resist” he said, grinning mischievously. Joe grinned back. “Thanks Roger, they’re perfect.”

Midnight on New Year’s Eve. In years past you’d enjoyed the ritual of sitting up to watch the fireworks, or going out somewhere in search of a New Year’s kiss. This year, though, all you really wanted was to get some sleep. But of course the twins had other ideas. In the end, midnight found you and Joe sat together on the rocking chair, each soothing a baby back to sleep. Joe’s loving gaze suddenly shifted from his children to you. "Thank you" he said softly. "For what?" you asked. "I always wanted a wife, and kids, but before I met you I was starting to wonder if it would ever happen for me" he explained. "And now you've given me both in a single year." "I suppose I have" you mused. "So, thank you. For giving me everything I've dreamed of" Joe said, kissing you gently. "I love you so, so much." You smiled back. "I love you too, babe." You were both quiet as you tenderly set the twins back in their cribs. “It’s been a good year, hasn’t it?” you mused, as you and Joe returned to your bedroom. “It’s gonna be a hard one to top” Joe agreed. “It’s been magnificent.” And the best part was, it was only the beginning.

*******************************************************************************************

A/N 2: This is really the end for these guys now, and I’m a little bit sad about that. I’ve got one Tallulah oneshot I want to finish (there’s lots of Freddie in it, it’s a lot of fun) and then I’m going to take a break from this universe (for now anyway) and work on my ‘possible Freddie Mercury descendant’ story. At this point I’m planning on keeping it as a oneshot, but I’ll see how I go. Hopefully it doesn’t take as long as this one did!

Taglist: (send me an ask or dm if you want to be taken off)

@wandering-at-midnight @fruityfreddie @trumanjo @ohmygoditsanthonyedwardstark @itsametaphorbriansblog @theedwardscollection @bookish-oreo @simplyvictoria-93 @kotoamor @j1224 @closertothesunwhenimwithyou @florenceivy @jennyggggrrr

(line through means the tag didn’t work)

#though you’re many years away #joe mazzello x reader #joe mazzello imagine #queen imagines #roger taylor x reader #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody imagines #bohemian rhapsody movie

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okashiras · 6 years ago

Text

Notes: Supplementary reading and a sequel of sorts. Enjoy.

KPOP AU PART 1

ao3 link

30 March 2014

If you had told me 4 years ago that Sasuke and Sakura would never officially confirm that they’re dating but would instead, out of nowhere, announce their engagement, I would have laughed my fucking ass off.

Anyway, I’m briefly back from my hiatus. Cheers to all of us! We did it. :’) (Or rather, they did it?)

tags: #CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!??!!, #I CAN’T BELIEVE ITT, #text post

cherry-shadow asked: you are a fandom high priestess!! ur blog is like my sasuke x sakura bible. i missed ur blog, thank u for bringing it back. bless you!!! have a nice day!! :-*

You’re very kind! Thank you!

tags: #cherry-shadow, #ask

sumuwu asked: sandy here, i’m not even that big on kage or kunoichi but i’m so glad for them and for you guys!! i support their mutual hotness. i’m sure they’ll have beautiful and talented babies in the future!!

Thank you so much for your support for our favorite couple!

PS: I love SuMu sibs, too. I just haven’t posted about them (because I’m always on a SS high). Looking forward to their comeback.

tags: #sumuwu, #ask

Anonymous asked: OH MY GOD YOU’RE BACK!!!!!1 will ur inbox be open for info/translation/general questions?? Asking for a friend. Lol ok bye!!! I love u ;A;

Haha, yes! For now. I just needed an outlet for all this excess energy and excitement. Thanks for still having me! I’ll try to reply as much as I can. But no promises that I can answer them all. ;;

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: now that they’re confirmed to have been dating for years (!!!!), i couldn’t help but want to review their interactions. do u recall moments in shows and such where it looks like their members are teasing them??

The members of Kage and Kunoichi have been kind of friends in varying capacities since before they even debuted so they’d always greet and bow to each other during shows and events. Nothing really special there. Unless we reach. Which, as you know, is exactly what this blog is for.

Since Anon specifically mentioned members (plural), I will only address moments where multiple members do the teasing.

(2007) Kiba and Naruto are rowdy hype men while the three members are more reserved, except when Sai does weird dances at select performances. Which is why when Kunoichi did their first performance ever at the KChart Music Awards, we can see Sasuke in this fancam (link) looking like he’s reprimanding Kiba, Naruto, and Sai because it distracts him from watching the girls (or just one girl?) perform.

(2010) This Kunoichi fancam from Konoha Music Awards in November (link) shows the girls standing while Rock Lee performs on stage. On Sakura’s side, you can see members of a boy group who keep moving and shuffling around. Another fancam (link) revealed that it was actually Kage members trying to switch places with each other.

So the member order was as follows: Tenten, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, Kiba, Sai, Sasuke, Naruto, Neji. When Kiba realized who he was next to, he walked away and tried to get in between Sasuke and Naruto. The two finally budged after a while, but Kiba was still unsatisfied because Sai was still between Sasuke and Sakura. So he went back and whispered something to Sai who promptly moved away and followed Kiba to stand between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke is now beside Sakura. Mission accomplished, guys.

(2011) In this Kunoichi fancam reaction to Kage’s stage on the KChart Music Awards (link), everyone was standing up. Unfortunately, the members were situated at the back, and Sakura, wearing combat boots, was at a height disadvantage. But the members came to her rescue when it was Sasuke’s turn in the spotlight. Ino who was the tallest member of the night thanks to her sky-high platforms, and Tenten the actual tallest member were whispering to Sakura, and looked like they were reporting and giving her a blow-by-blow account of what was happening on stage.

(2013) In this fancam of Kage’s reaction (link) to Sakura accepting the Best Female Solo for Courage at the Golden Leaf Awards, we see Naruto and Kiba who are smirking as they turn to a decidedly blank-faced Sasuke. Neji turns to their direction too, looking mildly exasperated.

tags: #masterpost, #Anonymous, #ask, #all of naruto’s teasing warrants a post of its own tbh

Anonymous asked: “#all of naruto’s teasing warrants a post of its own tbh” DUDE??!! please make that post a reality!! please!!!! i’ll give u my first born!! :)))

Haha! Okay, since there’s a bunch of you asking in my inbox: yes, the Naruto masterpost is underway. It’s gonna take a while but please look out for it if not by the end of this week then next week. Kinda swamped with work at the moment.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: love you’re blog! :) Just wondering, who’s you’re bias in Kage??

Thanks! My bias is Neji because he’s the most fabulous.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: hi!! do u have a link to the interview where they talk abt that line from shadows?? thanks

There were different articles with varying quotes from that interview (during SAGE album promotion, the one held in Konoha Mountain Villa back in March 2012) so I’m translating by combining the info from these articles: (x,x)

Q: Naruto, was the line “You are the sunshine in spring” from “Shadows” written for someone in particular?

Naruto: Uh, that’s— It’s not my place to say, sorry. Sasuke?

Sasuke: No comment.

Q: Is it perhaps about Hinata? She has the ‘sun’ character in her name.

Naruto: She does?

Sasuke: I wrote that line.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

SS movie date in Wave Country (2012)

I just needed to update this post in light of new information.

In the Kage Konoha Mountain Villa interview 2012 (the one I linked in the previous post), Sasuke was recorded saying: “I like classic action movies. The most recent one I saw was In a Grove (藪の中 Yabu no Naka).”

Two months prior, Sakura uploaded a video of the instrumental ‘Prologue’ originally from the soundtrack of a film Rokurota. Both In a Grove and Rokurota are films by the director Makino Chikao which led people to speculate if the connection ends there or if there’s more. So I did a little investigating.

Sakura posted the video on the evening of 31 January 2012. During that time, Sakura was in Wave Country where she was a guest performer for Kage’s show in Sector D District. I searched the cinemas around that area and found one that at the time was having a director Makino Chikao retrospective. (You can check out their site here: link) I wasn’t able to see the list of films exhibited to confirm but I have no doubts that both In a Grove and Rokurota were screened there, especially since both films are critically-acclaimed and universally loved. And it’s likely that Sakura and Sasuke went to these screenings together.

Furthermore, you know what’s in front of Kaiza Theatre? An Owson grocery mart, aka the same one where those pictures of Sasuke and Sakura were taken the same year (link). See the side by side comparison (link) and note the same shelves and wall paint. And of course, those photos led to Danzo’s damage control denial of the dating rumors, and then Sasuke’s infamous “[KGE] is just a workplace” statement. Y’all know the rest.

tags: #text post

Anonymous: any opinions on danzo? lol

None. Hope he enjoys retirement.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

yrzra asked: Hi! What’s your favorite Sakura era/hairstyle?

All Sakura is good Sakura to me! But if I have to pick one, I’d say when she came out with chin-length hair on her solo debut. It signified a new era, a new sound, and I was honestly blown away when I first saw it. That’s why it holds a special place in my heart.

tags: #yrzra, #ask, #little known fact: i prefer sakura’s solo songs, #but i still love kunoichi very much, #ino can step on my neck anytime

Anonymous asked: Wasn’t there an analysis of Heaven and Earth mv about Sakura’s romantic relationships? Or do you know the post I’m referring to?

Hm, sorry, I don’t remember that.

tags: #Anonymous, ask, #i personally don’t think it’s about her relationships at all?, #just about striving for self-improvement?, #which is a common theme in her lyrics

Masterpost of notable moments of Naruto being the SS fan club president

Note: As promised, here it is. If you have anything else to add, please don’t hesitate to reply/message me.

Let me preface this with a little background on Uzumaki Naruto. Naruto and Sasuke are the closest to each other in Kage not only because they are the two youngest members of the group, but also because they started training in KGE in the same year. The other trainee who started the same year they did was none other than Haruno Sakura. The three of them were said to be friendly even after they debuted in their respective groups. And it’s because of this that I believe they are privy to each other’s lives and relationships, and would, like any regular friends, every now and then tease the crap out of each other.

(2007) [VIDEO STAR] - Naruto talks about Kage members + colors 20070728

Naruto’s first solo guesting in Video Star variety talk show. There was a part where he was asked to describe the members of Kage via color association. (@ 2:11)

Izumu K: So black for Sai-kun, red for Kiba-kun, white for Neji-kun—

Naruto U: Yeah— Oh, no, not white. Ivory. Neji is very specific about this, you see.

Kotetsu H: Right, right.

Izumu K: What about Sasuke-kun?

Naruto U: Sasuke is... pink. Yeah. Pink. Pretty and memorable color. Lots of energy. (laughs)

Kotetsu H: Pink? For Uchiha Sasuke-kun? Really? Isn’t that a bit— (laughs)

Naruto U: Oh, you know what, scratch that. He’s gonna send me angry texts if he sees this. Okay, I’ll change it. Let’s see...

Kotetsu H: (laughs) Why would he?

Naruto U: Got it! Green. Nice, refreshing green.

Izumu K: Konoha green.

Naruto U: Yeah, yeah. Sure, green. (turns to the camera) I changed it, Sasuke! If you’re watching this, don’t be mad at me. (laughs)

Kotetsu H: Sasuke-kun, please take it easy on Naruto-kun.

Izumu K: Okay, what about you?

Naruto U: Orange, of course!

Pink is too obviously referring to Sakura/her signature hair color which is especially obvious since Kunoichi just debuted around the time of this interview, so Naruto changed it to green to prevent Sasuke’s wrath. But you know what else is green? Sakura’s eye color. Thanks, Naruto! Your subtlety is unparalleled.

(2007) KAGE reaction to KUNOICHI performance - MINDBLOWER + BLOOM @ Konoha Music Awards

Sasuke is a famously stoic cold city guy at award shows, especially when sat beside Naruto who dances exuberantly to every other performance. That is, until Kunoichi debuted. Sasuke would begin showing signs of life whenever Kunoichi performed, like foot tapping, some head bobbing here and there, and some stray finger flicking actions during the Mindblower chorus.

Anyway, in this particular performance, Naruto elbow nudges Sasuke on his side (pretty hardly, if Sasuke’s annoyed expression is anything to go by) just as Sakura’s verse is about to come on. (@ 1:32)

(2008) [FULL/ENG SUB] [HD] 080805 Idols Weekly EP 56 - KAGE Part 1

KAGE’s appearance in Idols Weekly where Naruto said he would join Kunoichi because his group kept betraying him, and then he said he would drag Sasuke along with him. He didn’t get to elaborate on why exactly because he was cut off by Sasuke’s glare.

Okay, this is kind of a reach but they were all just previously nailing the Bloom choreography, and then Naruto was dragging Sasuke specifically to join Kunoichi. Why just Sasuke? All of Kage are on friendly terms with Kunoichi members. That’s why I’m inclined to believe Naruto was teasing him because Sasuke has eyes on someone in Kunoichi. And we all know who.

(2009) [Music Bank K-Chart] 2nd Week of January - SN, Sound5

Sakura had the opportunity to host Music Bank for January. At the time, Sasuke and Naruto were promoting their subunit single “The Valley.” On the one episode that month where they performed, during the K-Chart announcement part, you can see Naruto subtly (not really) pushing Sasuke to his right. When the camera switches to wide shot, it appears that Sakura was on standby from hosting duties a few feet away over at Sasuke’s right side the whole time. (@9:42)

(2010) Sasuke was in Snow Country on a personal schedule and posted a rare picture of himself. Well, kind of. It was him looking like a hypebeast cryptid wearing multiple layers of winter clothes and scarves, against the backdrop of flower trees in Land of Spring (Snow Country’s capital). Captioned: ”wish you were here.” (My god he is so basic sometimes, I can’t.)

Anyway, on the said post, Naruto left a comment of around 15 cherry blossom emojis.

Cherry blossom = Sakura. King of subtlety…

Sasuke deletes this post five minutes later (which would have been suspect if he wasn’t such a serial post deleter). But luckily, we still have a screenshot which includes Naruto’s comment.

[IMAGE: @sasuke_deleted]

(Also note that a month prior to the announcement of their engagement, Sasuke and Sakura were reported to have had a rendezvous in Snow country. That place must be significant to them and Naruto being in their inner circle probably knows why this early on.)

(2010) [20102310] Naruto’s KLIVE Chat

Naruto was promoting his solo mini album and did a KLive broadcast where he called some Kage members. During his phone call with Sasuke, out of nowhere, Naruto mentioned Sakura. (@ 40:07)

N: Anyway, Sasuke, aren’t you preparing for your final show this week?

S: Mm.

N: All Kage members are supporting you. Not me, though. But the rest of them do, apparently.

S: Make yourself useful and promote my show.

N: I’ll do you one better. I’ll call Kunoichi and ask them to come to your concert.

S: What?

N: Yeah, I’ll personally pick Sakura-chan up and make sure she’s there.

S: [unintelligible]

N: Sasuke, what?

S: I said you’re an idiot.

(2011) Sakura was reported to have fainted from exhaustion after the last set at Kunoichi’s concert late October 2011. (This was the third time it had happened [that we know of!!!] and it honestly says a lot about what little regard KGE had for their artists.)

Meanwhile, Kage was doing their second to the last fanmeet scheduled in Earth Country. But on that night, Sasuke and Naruto took a red-eye from Iwa to Konoha. There are no pictures, only some K-netizens reports of Sasuke and Naruto entering Konoha General at around 8 am. (Some eyewitness accounts said that Sasuke appeared to be bringing a pillow.) At 10 am the same day, Naruto was spotted in his orange BMW convertible hanging around the KGE building, while Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

It can be surmised that Naruto, being a good friend, accompanied Sasuke so he can visit Sakura. But there’s more.

Konoha General to KGE building is a one-hour drive, but seeing how Naruto got his car and a new set of clothes, he most likely headed to his apartment first, which would add more or less 30 minutes to his journey. If he arrived at 8 am in Konoha General, but was already in KGE building by 10, that would mean he only stayed in the hospital for about 15 to 30 minutes at most.

I imagine what happened was: Naruto accompanied Sasuke from Iwa to Konoha, probably said hi to Sakura for a bit (if she was already conscious by then), and then promptly left them alone to have their moment. :’)

(2011) 30 October. Sasuke’s K-D Magazine photoshoot previews were released. Sakura liked one of the posts from the K-D account. Later, she posted a cute video selfie with heart eyes filter with ねぇ聞こえますか？(Can You Hear Me?) an old love song, playing in the background. Her timeline was probably filled with Sasuke’s pictures that she just had to post some kind of lovey-dovey reaction to it. A few hours later, Naruto commented with a (very knowing) smirking face emoji.

[IMAGE: @narukage_likes]

(2013) 8 August. Naruto posted a picture of two mochi (pink and blue) from Amaguriama, with the caption, “Look how sweet my friends are.” He tagged Sasuke in the blue one. Who else could the pink one be?

[IMAGE: @narukage]

That’s all I know for now. Naruto hasn’t updated his account with anything SS-related since the engagement was announced, which is really odd for him. (Maybe he’s still busy partying because his OTP is canon?) When he posts something, I’ll update this accordingly.

tags: #masterpost, #text post

bl00m asked: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THAT MASTERPOST!! My life is significantly better because of it! But just wondering, since Sakura and Ino refer to themselves as best friends, do we have an Ino-teasing-Sakura-about-Sasuke moment, too?

Seems to me like Ino is much too professional to tease so I only found a couple. Hope that’s okay.

(2007) K-D Kunoichi Feature (magazine issue published around the time after Kunoichi’s debut):

Q: Out of the four of you, Ino and Sakura were the first ones to sign under KG and become trainees. What were your first impressions of each other? Has it changed now?

Sakura: I thought Ino was full of confidence and charisma and that hasn’t changed until now.

Ino: Sakura used to be really shy and quiet but clearly she has bloomed since then.

Sakura: Having someone my own age really helped, I think. We pushed each other to work and get better. It was kind of a friendly rivalry.

Ino: Yeah, rivalry, not just in terms of work, though. I used to have a crush on another trainee at that time, and then one day, Sakura announced that she—

Sakura: Oh my god! Can we not?

They didn’t outright say that it was Sasuke whom Sakura and Ino were crushing on, but it’s kind of general knowledge that Sasuke was quite popular with the KGE trainees not only because he was the younger brother of Akatsuki’s Uchiha Itachi but because he is good-looking and talented, so it’s not a stretch to assume Ino was talking about Sasuke and was teasing Sakura about it.

(2009) [VIDEO STAR] - Kunoichi (FULL EP) (@14:23):

Izumu: Any music you’re currently listening to?

Tenten: Believe it or not, I’ve been listening to a lot of trot music recently, like Might Guy, and stuff. I like the joy in it and I would like to also bring that kind of energy on stage someday.

Sakura: Creation , the album by Tsunade. I’m interested in albums that have some sort of narrative or a theme that makes everything cohesive, as opposed to trying to make hits after hits and then just compiling them all in the end. She’s certainly not the first to do something like it, but I thought it was groundbreaking for a pop artist, so…

Ino: We like Kage, too, don’t we, Sakura?

Tenten: (laughs)

Sakura: I— Well, everyone likes Kage for sure.

Kotetsu: Right, you did collaborate with them on a song in their album last year.

Sakura: Yeah.

Ino: (quietly) Is that what the kids call it these days?

Tenten: (laughs)

That innuendo, though.

tags: #bl00m, #ask

Anonymous asked: it’s funny reading your posts now and realizing how much it all makes sense like how did no one else (but us) seE THIS COMING??? we’ve endured being called DELUSIONAL for years!!!! i feel so vindicated now so i’m literally never gonna shut up about this LMAO

RIGHT?! I’m sure I’m not the only one who has remained quiet and kept to myself when I’m with other fans because I’m in the minority for shipping Sasuke and Sakura while most of them shipped the boys with each other. I don’t really mind it, but, you know, when it’s real, IT’S REAL.

And it feels so good to be right.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: how’s life for a grown ass adult still projecting on other people’s relationships like ur 13 lmfao

How’s life for someone who has to type with only 2 brain cells?

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

kageyah asked: gawd, what a rude anon that was. don’t let those lowlifes bother you. i’ve been enjoying your recent posts a lot and it’s so fun to see you back again on my dashboard. i missed you sm. ^_^

Kags!! Thank you! I missed you, too! Nah, don’t worry. Sasuke and Sakura are getting married so I’m unfazed and unbothered by virtually anything. Haha!

tags: #kageyah, #ask

lildonut: i love your blog!!!! that masterpost gave me life!!! i was wondering if you have any fic recs?? Thanks <3

Thank you! I don’t really read fics, sorry. I have a very little scope of imagination so reality is enough to keep me interested. But maybe someone here can help you? Anyone?

edit: Thanks, @darliang!!

These, our bodies, possessed by light by RikkudoS — “‘Tell me we’ll never get used to it.’ Sasuke and Sakura through the years. Canon.”

Cherry Bombs by xXxFullMoonxXx — “Double dates are easy enough. That is, until you end up falling for the wrong person. High School AU.”

Of Demos and First Kisses by sugimura — "5 times Sasuke and Sakura wrote songs together and the 1 time they didn’t. Canon."

Under the Same Sky by msshkshmt — “Uchiha Sasuke expects to die in battle. But seeing this pink-haired girl cry for him (again and again), makes him wish that wasn’t the case. Ninjas AU.”

tags: #lildonut, #ask, #fic recs

Anonymous asked: Do you have any idea as to when and how exactly Sasuke and Sakura started dating? Other than the 5 years that Sasuke mentioned in his fan page message? Thanks! Love your blog!

Thanks!

By the way, I love how Sasuke is known to be very private with his personal life and relationships but would, intentionally or not, obliquely reveal details like how they’ve been dating for 5 years already.

Anyway. Well, I can’t really say anything with certainty but if I were to extrapolate and make an *educated guess*, I’d say they probably started dating officially mid to late 2009. As far as I can recall, that’s also when dating gossips about them started popping up. Also the fact that they started wearing matching white gold bands late ‘09-early ‘10 (I’ll make a separate post about this later) just solidified to me that they really did start dating in 2009.

Prior to my projected time, their collaborations have been frequent, starting with Sakura helping to write a song for Kage, and then both of them being featured on each other’s solo projects. And even before that, it’s kind of general knowledge that they’ve been fairly close as trainees (not to mention, Sakura has allegedly been crushing on him before), so they already had that foundation. There’s that mutual respect for each other and each other’s talents that, over the course of their collaborations, probably grew into something more.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous: re: how sasuke and sakura started dating, i would also like to add that since they are the most hardworking out of the members of their respective groups, they are probably the trainees who used to work overtime the most and got close because of it, probably helped and looked out for each other too. sakura used to say dancing wasn’t her strongest suit while it came naturally for sasuke so maybe he helped her with that. conversely, since sakura is reportedly an A+ student, she must’ve helped him with studies as well. they probs already have a mutual understanding but couldn’t be official cuz of the dating ban. ^_^

Ah, I’m actually not entirely sure if the dating ban is real, but what you’ve said is possible. Can’t say anything conclusively, though.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous asked: wher do sassuke and saura have sex???

How tf would I know lol

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

List of alleged Sasuke x Sakura couple items

These are only the more important, more unique items. So don’t bother sending me pictures of them holding identical paper bags from Sannin. They aren’t the only idols who shop from that brand.

***

(2009-2010) White gold band

Sasuke is not that big on accessories. If we do see him fully accessorized, it’s because he is styled for promotional materials, and stage or music video looks. Otherwise, he doesn’t wear much accessories other than a standard watch, etc. That’s why it was so glaringly obvious when he started wearing a white gold band on his left pinky finger (note: pinky = pink = Sakura, lol!) in December 2009, which led fans to speculate if he is in a relationship. Everyone was suddenly on the lookout for a similar ring worn by idols and celebrities. Especially Sakura whom Sasuke was rumored to be dating that year.

Sakura accessorizes quite a bit but has never been seen wearing the said band. That is, until she had a fan meet in March of 2010. Sakura fansite First Love took HQ pictures of her in the event. In one of them, she leaned over while signing an autograph for a fan and consequently revealed the necklace she’s wearing inside her blouse, and behold, the white gold band hanging on it. It took quite a lot zooming in and adjusting the photograph which is why the legitimacy was contentious among fans, but you can see it for yourself here.

[IMAGE: White gold band]

[IMAGE: Sasuke Konoha airport pic white gold band]

[IMAGE: Sakura necklace zoom in]

***

(2011) Chair

Sakura posts a picture of her succulents by the window of her house, the chair from Sasuke’s Heavenly Hand music video is seen in the corner. It’s a one-of-a-kind modern chair by Konoha master carpenter Kanna, so it couldn’t have been a duplicate.

[IMAGE: MV screenshot]

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

***

(2012-2013) Ceramic vase

Sasuke posted a picture of a Hanasaki-style ceramic vase by Masho’s protégé ceramist, Kanyu, which was exhibited and auctioned at Leaf Gallery, and captioned it (now deleted) “Mine.”

[IMAGE: @sasuke_deleted]

The following year, Sakura posted a photo of her bed after a concert tour with the caption “Home Sweet Home.” On the bookshelf on the right side, the same vase is seen. Note the pure white color and cracks on the surface that resemble intertwining flowers.

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

Did he give it to her or was she able to procure an identical one? I’m inclined to believe in the former, but either way, cute.

***

(2013) Chambray shirt

Sakura was photographed at Konoha airport wearing a chambray shirt, which is similar to a shirt that Sasuke was wearing in the behind-the-scenes photo of his album back in 2009. The shirts have an identical tear at the left collar.

According to fashion fansite SakuraCloset, this shirt is from Sannin Men’s chambray shirt. This is how it originally looked on the runway. No tear.

[IMAGE: Sannin RTW F/W 2006]

So it’s either a huge coincidence that Sasuke and Sakura have identical tears on the same brand of shirt, or it’s just the same shirt that they share for some reason*.

*They were dating.

tags: #masterpost, #text post

Anonymous asked: you forgot the beanie that often sasuke wears at airports which was spotted worn by sakura.

You mean in the Road of Life webisode from last year? No, it’s the same color but they’re different. Sakura was wearing a fisherman beanie, while Sasuke usually wears a slouchy one.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

mindbl0wn: do you know what the strong 100 will be about? Love ur blog ^_^

Sorry, it took a while to answer this. According to these articles (x,x), it’s gonna be a heist film with an all-female cast. Sakura’s appearance will be brief (a cameo maybe?) but apparently she does her own stunts.

tags: #that’s my girl, #mindbl0wn, #ask

Anonymous asked: lol i still keep seeing antis tryna say sakura might be doing it for attention and sasuke is just pity marrying her or using her as a beard to cover up another relationship or sth man i can’t with them anymore

I really worry about people who spread stuff like this. Like, please give your faves the credit they deserve!

Sasuke “ I-take-relationships-very-seriously” Uchiha marrying someone for shits? They can’t even make him forego his IG feed aesthetic to promote his group/members’ stuff, let alone force him to marry someone out of pity or publicity or whatever.

And Sakura. Why would she marry for publicity? She’s already famous and influential on her own, and not to mention, rich from all the songwriting royalties among other things. She doesn’t need clout. Least of all from Sasuke or the Uchiha. Like 90% of the hate directed towards her come from ugly Sasuke/Hoekage stans and weirdos who have conglomerate boners. She need not subject herself to all that.

They are also, by the way, at the height of their respective careers. If they cared all that much about their image, wouldn’t they wait until they’re in their early 30s to marry like most idols? They could potentially be throwing away endorsement deals from brands who prefer celebrities who are single to appease the fans who feel like they have some sort of ownership towards idols.

And yet! And yet despite everything, they chose to make their relationship public in their own terms.

(Also, note the timing of their announcement. It’s a few months after Hatake Kakashi became the new CEO. It’s like the management up until then has been the main reason that has kept them from coming out with their relationship, which is why the ‘secrecy’ of it felt kinda half-hearted and they’ve been [knowingly or not] dropping hints.)

Clearly, they just didn’t care and they couldn’t wait to spend the rest of their lives married to each other. It’s not that deep. You don’t have to like it. But if you love them as you claim, then respect their decision and stop spreading rumors like that.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

WAIT WHAT

tags: #text post

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD

tags: #IS THIS REAL, #AM I DREAMING, #GUYS!!!!!!!!!!, #text post

THEY REALL YDID IT OH MY GODD!!!!11 ;;;

tags: #text post

Un-Follow Me Now, This Is Gonna Be the Only Thing I Post About For The Next Week. Ive Wanted This For Years Fuck. What The Fuck.

tags: #text post

Anonymous: Lol theres still a few months before the wedding date so they might still cancel it and break up lmfao xD

I delayed answering this to avoid jinxing it but guess what, babe:

BREAKING: UCHIHA SASUKE AND HARUNO SAKURA OFFICIALLY GET MARRIED

July 17, 2014

Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura have made it official!

Yesterday, the two were reportedly spotted at the Konoha offices to file for their marriage registration. On July 17, the two officially got married in a private ceremony.

The couple initially announced their engagement last March, with the wedding that was supposed to be held November 5 later this year.

Representatives say that the newlywed couple “opted for a small and private wedding along with their loved ones, in favor of donating the expenses that was supposed to be for their ceremony to the pediatric ward of Konoha General Hospital.”

Uchiha Sasuke is best known as a member and the primary lyricist of boy group Kage under KG Entertainment. Haruno Sakura is known as a member of girl group Kunoichi under the same company. Both have gone on to have successful solo careers.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

source: knewsdaily

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Sasuke and Sakura: We will get married on November 5 this year.

Also, Sasuke and Sakura: sothatwasafuckinglie.jpg

tags: #WHEN WILL THEY LET ME LIVE!!!!!, #text post

I’M SHAKINGG;;

tags: #REFRESHING EVERY 30 SECS FOR UPDATES, #text post

SAKURA IS SO BEAUTIFUL

tags: #THAT’S IT, #THAT’S THE POST, #text post

Attendees’ social media posts (so far)

Kakashi: posted a photo of the still empty venue, but everything is prepared already. The flower ceiling is especially striking. (There appears to be not more than 30 chairs for the guests. I guess it really is a small wedding.)

“I’m on time for once. #SasuSakuCouple #AmIDoingThisRight #lol”

[IMAGE: @kh_tactics]

Ino: posted picture of Sakura holding a bouquet of Baby’s Breath flowers, smiling contently.

“My baby girl is married! I’m so emotional right now and can’t even form a proper message. I’m proud to have seen you blossom right before my eyes, and I feel lucky to get to call you my best friend. I wish you all the happiness in the world. I love you!”

[IMAGE: @xxinoxx]

Sai: posted a video of Naruto and Kiba having a dance showdown at the reception.

“#lit”

[IMAGE: @sai_00]

Hinata: posted a picture of the flower arrangement at the table.

“Congrats”

[IMAGE: @hinata_hyuuga_official]

Kiba: posted a group selfie of the Kage boys being rowdy, Sasuke and Neji looking unimpressed in the back.

[IMAGE: @kibakage]

Tenten: posted a group selfie of Kunoichi being cute.

[IMAGE: @10ten]

Neji: posted a photoset of miscellaneous aesthetics of the wedding (floral ceiling, the food, the lights, details of Sakura’s veil), and a selfie.

“S/S 2014”

[IMAGE: @neji_]

Itachi : posted (1) a photoset of the groom’s and bride’s parents—first photo is a formal one, on the second one, they’re doing finger hearts.

“#familyphoto”

(2) a picture of the silhouettes of Sasuke and Sakura facing each other, seemingly in a happy conversation.

[IMAGE: @itachiuchiha]

tags: #no update from naruto yet, #king of being late, #masterpost, #text post

I know it’s a private affair and I respect that but...

But would it seriously be too much to ask for a proper picture of the newlyweds??

tags: #i love you itachi-nii but what the heck was that??, #do you need your eyes checked perhaps?, #or am i too pedestrian to appreciate the high art-ness of it, #probably that, #in any case: i need the pics PLEASE, #i’ve been a good person, #i deserve this, #text post

Anonymous: do think it’s possibel that sakura is pregnant that’s why they were so quick to marry. Pls reply

Highly unlikely. She would’ve been showing by now and looking at the photos we’ve seen, her stomach is very much flat. Moreover, she was just shooting an action movie where she does her own stunts. You think they’d allow a pregnant woman to do that?

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

Anonymous: YO DID YOU SEE SAKURA’S UPDATE JUST NOW?!?!??!!111

YES!!!! I’m translating it but I’m trying to wait if Sasuke posts something so I can translate that too and (rightfully) post them together.

tags: #Anonymous, #ask

SASUKE

tags: #text post

Sakura and Sasuke post-wedding social media updates

Sakura posted a pic of their hands with the rings, a bouquet of flowers visible on the side, with the caption:

“Today we got married.

We had deviated from our original plan because we wanted to do something meaningful and more like us. As a result, we have decided to just keep the ceremony quiet but, rest assured, full of love.

I’ve never felt so loved as I do at this moment and that’s in huge part because of all of you who have been congratulating us warmly, and have been so patient and understanding of our decisions every step of the way.

Please continue to look kindly upon us as husband and wife. Thank you.

- Sakura“

[IMAGE: @sakurah]

Sasuke, of course, never does what you expect so he didn’t post a message. Instead, he cleared out three rows of his feed with plain white tiles to have a single picture of Sakura looking beautiful in her wedding dress in the middle. The colored picture especially stands out in his generally grayscale feed.

Moreover, he is now following 1 account: @sakurah.

[IMAGE: @sasuke]

tags: #text post

Masterpost of notable moments of Naruto being the SS fan club president

Note: As promised, here it is. If you have anything else to add, please don’t hesitate to reply/message me.

EDIT: Naruto posted a photoset: (1) the newlyweds smiling arm in arm, Sasuke gazing warmly at Sakura, (2) same as the first but they’re looking at each other and smiling, (3) Naruto gets in the picture to pose with the two.

“Why I believe in love”

[IMAGE: @narukage]

Tags: #MY JOB HERE IS DONE, #update, #masterpost, #text post

END

#apparently u can't underline on tumbl......#so maybe reading on ao3 is cuter but do whatever u please #fic poop #kpop au #this is uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #sasusaku

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lovetheplayers · 6 years ago

Conversation

Taylor’s Interview with Olli & Michael | WDR 1LIVE (May 3, 2019)

Taylor: Hello?

1LIVE: Hello! Olli and Michael from Germany. Who’s talking?

Taylor: Hey, Olli and Michael! It’s Taylor Swift.

1LIVE: Taylor, hey!

Taylor: Hi, how are you?

1LIVE: To be honest, we are playing ME! every morning in our Morning Show because the track is so positive. If you have a rainy day it becomes a sunny day, you know what I mean?

Taylor: Thank you for saying that. That really means a lot to me. I’m so proud of the song and I think one of my favorite things that anyone could say to me about it is that it helped turn, you know, help turn their mood around or helped them feel a little better about themselves or just makes them feel happy. Like, it’s–it’s one of the best compliments I think you can give somebody if music they make made you happy, so thank you for telling me that.

1LIVE: I was wondering why Brendon Urie–why was he the perfect partner for this collaboration, for this song?

Taylor: I think Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco was the one that I wanted to have on this song because he is such a great performer and he’s so enthusiastic about everything that he does, and he’s also always been really good to his fans; he’s had such a long and interesting career and I think that, you know, he seems like he’s always up for a challenge and always up for doing new fun things, and so I’ve always been such a huge fan, and so when we were halfway through writing this song I reached out to Brendon and asked him if he wanted to come in and write the rest of it with us and record the–the duet portion of the song.

1LIVE: We had much fun seeing you fighting in French in the video. Was it a one-take or did you have to repeat it once again, once again, once again because you were laughing all the time?

Taylor: It actually took a few takes because we were–we were laughing so hard because it’s so fun to get into a fight in a scene no matter what language you’re speaking, but also trying to keep your French accent and trying to keep your pronunciation correct–and there’s actually–we just put out a behind the scenes video on YouTube that’s the behind the scenes footage of the French scene and you can see how many times we cracked up laughing or how many times we messed up what we’re saying, so if you want to check that out you’ll see it was definitely not perfect the first time we did it

1LIVE: Yeah, one thing I always say to Michael every morning is, “JE SUIS CALME!” And now we are playing ME!, I said it already, every morning on our morning show. What kind of personal process in your life led to the realization that loving yourself is one of the most important things in life?

Taylor: Well, thank you so, so much for playing it every morning. I really appreciate that. That is so nice of you to do that. And I think honestly self-love and and self-worth, those are never things we’re going to feel all the time and I think you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself that you should feel good about yourself all the time because I don’t feel that way; I don’t think anyone feels that way, always confident in yourself. But I think that having a song you can listen to kind of reinforces that feeling or remind you that you’re different, you’re different than everybody else in the whole world and that intrinsically–that individuality makes you special. I definitely struggle with feeling insecurity and that’s probably why I wrote this song because I wanted to have a song to perform live that would hopefully be able to pull me out of that sometimes.

1LIVE: But I think it’s hard to find the perfect balance between “Hey, I’m cool, I’m sexy, I love myself,” and not to sound too selfish, isn’t it?

Taylor: Yeah, exactly, but I think nowadays we’re in this age of social media and I think everybody goes online and we have so many people to compare ourselves to and more often than not we end up feeling like we’re not as good as somebody else, we’re not as cool as somebody else or not as, like, good looking as someone else, but I think that we really need to focus on the fact that those comparisons are just harmful to ourselves and everybody’s going through it, and so, having a song that can remind you that there’s no one else, like, you, you know, I just was trying to make something that would make people feel better.

1LIVE: Yeah, okay. I know that feeling–opening Instagram and seeing all these pictures and videos, “Hey, he has the better job, he is on vacation and I’m sitting here at work,” but I can’t believe that you have the same feelings when you see other people on Instagram. You are a pop star, you are famous, you have fans in the whole world.

Taylor: Oh, definitely, definitely. I do that all the time and sometimes I even have to just take a social media break because I feel like–like everybody else is so much cooler and I think that that’s just something we all go through, and there are so many people that I’ve met, so many beautiful, amazing, wonderful girls that I look at and I think, “Oh my god, their life is perfect,” and then when I’ll get to know them and I’ll realize that they–they do the same thing. Like, they’ll go online and they’ll be–and they’ll feel just so insecure and I think that insecurity , like, it is nice to be able to have other people go, like, "Yeah, I feel that way too,” or, “Yeah, I do that all the time,” because that in a way bonds us. Like, we all have that in common and so we all like to escape from that feeling if we can, even if it’s for the length of a song or we’re just telling ourselves I’m special, I’m different even if we don’t really believe it, I think it’s good to kind of tell ourselves that.

1LIVE: We are very curious about your new album. Can we find clues in the video of ME! that leads us to the title of the album?

Taylor: There is definitely–there are definitely a few clues in the ME! music video that will tell you the title of the album. I’m not going to confirm the title for a little bit because I just kind of wanted to–I didn’t want to inundate fans with information. Like, I wanted them to have this music video and have this song and then a little bit later I’ll tell them all the information about the album. But there’s so much information in the video that’s actually an Easter egg, like the title of the second single is also in the music video, so it’s really fun.

1LIVE:: Okay, and the fans have found out everything?

Taylor: They have found out a few things but they haven’t found out everything because there are some clues that they’re not going to understand the full meaning of until the album is totally out because a lot of them are lyrical references to a lyric in a song that they haven’t heard yet, so it’s all really fun and exciting to kind of be able to drop clues and I just am very lucky that they care enough to look for clues.

1LIVE: In which kind of situation should we listen to your new album when it’s released?

Taylor: Well, I try to make albums that have different–different layers to them and different songs for different occasions, so I really like for there to be a song that’s, like, perfect for falling in love and a song that’s perfect for driving around with the windows down on a sunny day and then a song for when you’re really upset and sad and a song for when you want to go out and, like, party with your friends or a song to put on in the kitchen when you’re cooking or a song to put on when you’re in the bath. And when it comes out you’ll have to let me know if I–if I did the job.

1LIVE: I need the album right now because I need to cook right now in a few minutes and take a bath.

Taylor: That sounds like you have a really nice night ahead of you.

1LIVE: Yes, I hope to see you soon in Germany.

Taylor: Thank you, I definitely want to come back because the fans in Germany have been so lovely and wonderful and so I definitely am planning–we’re doing our live shows and I want to come back to Germany because I really miss you guys and I’m really grateful for everything and I I really want to come back soon.

1LIVE: Are your cats traveling with you or staying at home?

Taylor: They are pretty good travelers. They’ve been–they’ve all been traveling since they were little kittens, so yeah, they go pretty much everywhere with me. We’re a family.

1LIVE: Are there restricted areas at home where they’re not allowed to come?

Taylor: No, they go everywhere. They're everywhere in the house. I’m always surrounded by now like a team of cats. When you have three they’re just everywhere.

1LIVE: That’s true.

Taylor: Literally there’s one–there one there, one there, they’re all staring at you. It’s the world I want to live in.

1LIVE: Well, it was really fun to talk to you.

Taylor: It’s great to talk to you too! Thank you for being so sweet and thank you so much for playing the song. I am so grateful.

1LIVE: I hope to see you soon here in Germany. The door is always open; come in, find us, we have no dogs.

Taylor: [Laughs] Thank you!

#me! radio promo

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thesinglesjukebox · 6 years ago

Video

youtube

ARIANA GRANDE - BREAK UP WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND, I'M BORED [5.40] Must be why she keeps dropping videos, right?

Alfred Soto: I've read disparaging things about the last track on Ariana Grande's followup to the inferior Sweetener. To my ears it calls shit on The Weeknd types who prefer credulous, docile women. The pert comma makes the point: she's restless, she won't sit around waiting for him to come down off the coke. The dense electroswing of the arrangement adduces her no-bullshit determination. Is it catchy? Oh yes. [8]

Ian Mathers: The problem with having a song title that good is that the song then has to actually live up to it. This one doesn't, not quite. [6]

Tobi Tella: Ariana's recent foray into trap has brought... mixed results. Unfortunately, this doesn't really work at all. If "7 Rings" was Ari at her most outrageous, this is her at the most boring level. The trap beat doesn't go anywhere, the lyrics are shallow, and it never really gets to the fun vibe it seems desperate to invoke. A strange album closer, and even stranger single choice. [4]

Pedro João Santos: With finesse and incremental maturity (one to which the whimsical, important Sweetener already alluded), Thank U, Next culminates with the career-defining title track, a lush ode to self-love and growth, not despite but (partly) in appreciation of past relationships. A pivotal, career-defining move for Grande rounding out the longer statement of an album; it feels right. Well... yes, that's a lie, obvious as soon as "Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" surfaced. Alright then. It's a breezy but prompt, trap-tempered moment of some romantic/sexual unwariness, an okay song ("cause I'm bo-ooored" doesn't exactly strive to fit the meter) in not-quite-stupendous clothing, programmed to perfection, like a sped-up "God is a Woman," only stripped of its glorious urgency, though vestiges pop up in the tense, thrilling middle eight. It's fine and in isolation it feels excellent, but attached to full-length context, it's marked as an anticlimax. It's not the grand finale, unless you want to follow up a bang with a thud. Guess that's the risk of having an imperial phase. [7]

Thomas Inskeep: I guess she's officially a mean girl now. [3]

Katie Gill: You know how whenever Maroon 5 releases an album, it's pretty much a vehicle to serve as a collection of three obvious singles and six or so filler songs to pad out space? I'm a little worried that Thank U, Next is a vehicle to serve as a collection of two obvious singles and eight or so filler songs to pad out space. And considering that the two obvious singles have already been released... [5]

Katherine St Asaph: Eight years after Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend," I still find it a fundamentally cruel song that doesn't know it's cruel. Now Ariana Grande has released her own "Call Your Girlfriend," except this one knows full well it's cruel. Or, rather, the chorus knows it's cruel, but either the song or Ariana's image isn't willing to fully commit to remorseless homewrecking "cause I'm bored." So it adds several verses of hand-wringing about how this never happens, how unfair and how begging and so on. The level of angst -- and once you hit "practically on my knees" it's not boredom but angst -- is ludicrous for someone you've just met. In the course of human-seeking-man events, you'll eventually find out that a guy who intrigues you has a girlfriend. You will feel momentarily disappointed, and then you will get the fuck over it and load Tinder. There's also another, bigger problem. "Call Your Girlfriend" is a shimmering pop song; its ebullience practically makes the call for you. "Break Up With Your Girlfriend" is not: a midtempo whine of a hook, with an 'N Sync interpolation existing solely for people to talk about it, boosted occasionally with harmonies that could come from a much better Dawn Richard song. [3]

Iris Xie: Ari is really continuing her power trip "I want it, I got it" theme from "7 Rings." Her frankness is not ethical and she admits it, and it enters this mood of careless, existential ennui that evokes the feeling of a blase mood and an emptiness from needing to seek out entertainment in chaos. Combined with a lazy trap beat and cascading on the timbre of her voice, it's pleasant in a flippant way. Overall, this song evokes a quiet, ambivalent destruction where absolutely nothing could fill the void and you know you're a shit person for thinking these thoughts, but you are and will and put it out there, but fuck it anyway, because people will judge you anyway. For her, this is just a passing thought, except instead of keeping it private to avoid being judged by others, it's candid and visible for our consumption. [6]

Stephen Eisermann: Ariana Grande's voice is made for these R&B/pop hybrid songs. Her staccato phrasing in the verses has her teetering on the brink of rapping half the time, but it never comes across as forced or contrived; instead, Ariana sounds very comfortable riding the beat and channeling the necessary confidence. The lyrics are cute enough, though not nearly as deep as her fans have started claiming online, but the real strength of the song comes from the playful tone that Ariana delivers the story with. What could border on conceited instead comes off as kittenish and frisky, a true testament to Ariana's ability to be able to control the narrative simply with the tone of her voice. [7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Better as a stand-alone single than the closing track of Thank U, Next, "Break Up" still encompasses what the entirety of Ariana's fifth album sounds like: middle of the road pop music that's easily digestible because of how safe and rudimentary its production is (Pharrell is sorely missed). "Break Up" has a better title than song, mostly because its lyrics never live up to that level of nonchalant-assertion-as-wink. The musical diversion of the pre-choruses reveal what could've been if its ideas were fleshed out. It's in the contrast between their first and second appearances -- how "I realized" transforms to "you realized," how Ariana's tone changes from disappointment to self-assured -- that wish fulfillment becomes the sole motivator for devilish actions. If you're gonna be evil, go all in. As is, "Break Up" leaves me bored. [5]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox ]

#ariana grande #break up with your girlfriend i'm bored #thank u next #music #pop #pop music #new music #music video #music writing #music reviews

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topweeklyupdate · 6 years ago

Text

TØP Weekly Update #57: Thanks, Jay Z (8/9/2018)

Turns out last week was a pretty good one to take off. Very little of major note happened in the Twenty One Pilots sphere while I vacationed in the Canadian wilderness. This week, however... that’s a whole other story.

New music. New music video. New track list. New merch. Let’s get into it.

This Week’s TØPics:

“Levitate” and Trench Track List Leak, and Then...

“Levitate” Video and Trench Track List Released

“Jumpsuit” Drops Off the Hot 100 (But Still Gains At Radio...)

Mark Goes Off

AND MORE

Major News and Announcements:

On Tuesday, the streaming service Tidal briefly posted the third promotional track for Trench before realizing their mistake and taking it down. This still provided the Clique with plenty of time to record and post it in so many places across the Interwebs that Warner Music Group’s copyright bots couldn’t hope to catch up. The likelihood that Tyler and Josh leaked it themselves is honestly pretty low extremely high.

The track, entitled “Levitate”, is the most unmistakable hip-hop track in the band’s discography thus far. Running at a tight 2:20, Tyler delivers some truly impressive bars in what is essentially a single extended verse, constantly mixing up his flow against a slick trap drum beat and the eerie synth that was hinted at in the end of “Jumpsuit” (if the entire album flows from song to song like this... automatic 10/10).

Lyrically, “Levitate” sees Tyler discussing the role of songwriting in his life, a form of expression that allows him to “fire-breathe” and “levitate” beyond his problems. The song is littered with gems (“we are not just graffiti on a passing train”) and jabs against the music industry for trying to rein him in or make him into something he’s not (“this culture is a poacher of overexposure, don’t feed me to the vultures”, “you’re the worst; your structure compensates, but compensation feels a lot like rising up to dominate”). The reference to Tyler getting back “what I once bought back in that slot, I won’t need to replace” is perfect, and I’m still emotional about it.

I do have a few minor quibbles with the song. I think the looped instrumental is a little too minimalistic to justify the length of the outro. “At least they all know what they hear comes from a place” and “you can levitate with just a little help” lack specificity and fall a little flat for me. And I’ve expressed before that I’m not overly interested in songs about the music industry that aren’t directly applicable to most people’s experience (sorry, "Fairly Local” and “Lane Boy”).

All that said, the production and presentation is so slick. Plus, Tyler grounds the song in enough personal experience and relatable struggles that it succeeds in crossing over that gap of fame and success to actually hit home. Lines like “danger in the fabric of this thing I made,” “I thought I could depend on my weekends on the freezing ground,” and “don’t feed me to the vultures, I am a vulture who feeds on pain” show the same vulnerability and self-aware introspection that attracted me to the band in the first place.

“Levitate” wasn’t all we got from the leak. An updated version without the yellow duct tape over the track list was included as the background, revealing the names of the other eleven songs that we’ll hear sometime between now and October 5th. The track list is as follows:

Didn’t think that I’d struggle with a song title more than “Bandito”, but “Pet Cheetah” and “The Hype” are really gonna have to go the extra mile in ways that no other song from the band has before to justify those artistic choices. (That said, “Neon Gravestones” sounds rad as hell.) We’ll save picking apart the meaning for all of these titles for a later date; we’ve still got another two months before the album is out, and I don’t think we’ll be getting any new songs or videos until late September at the earliest, so we’ve got time.

ln the wake of the leak (much like with “Heathens” two years ago), the song and video for “Levitate” were pushed out the following day, two days earlier than originally planned if the date on Tidal is anything to go buy. The third installment in this Trench trilogy features Tyler and Josh performing the track at the Bandito camp while vultures fly around looking cool. At the video’s conclusion, Tyler is snatched away from a campfire by a bishop and dragged without a struggle back to Dema. One Bandito looks frightened by this, but another just ominously states “Welcome to Trench”.

I must confess that this music video didn’t fully do it for me. While the production value remains stellar, the “Car Radio” call-back with shaving Tyler’s head is great, and I love any opportunity to see the boys perform together, “Levitate” as a song is frankly too short and moves at a too breakneck pace to make a truly compelling video out of the song alone. I’m honestly shocked that there wasn’t a longer extended scene attached to the end of the video to provide a stronger narrative conclusion to the pieces laid in the last two videos, especially considering that “Jumpsuit” opened with such a scene. As it is, the video moves by so quickly and shares so many aesthetic qualities with its two predecessors that it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

There is, however, one (potentially unintentional) aspect of the “Levitate” video that really resonated with me. Tyler enjoying himself while performing and being with people only to be yanked out of the group once the energy dies down a little is a perfect representation of anxiety and depression, which so often sets in without warning in circumstances where one would think are supposed to feel happy and safe. The fact that this story ends on such a down note reads as an honest reflection on the nature of mental illness, even if it is perhaps narratively unsatisfying. Besides, I highly doubt this will be our last exploration of the Trench universe; we’ll just have to see where else Tyler and Josh take us when the album drops.

With the initial wave of promo singles out of the way, the marketing team has moved ahead with the business of actually selling the album. Trench is now available for pre-order on iTunes. The Twenty One Pilots webstore is now full of various bundle packages for pre-order that include t-shirts, hoodies, a dope bandana, a 10′’ vinyl EP with the three promo tracks, CD and cassette versions of the full album and (if you order before the end of the month) a neat little patch, all at pretty reasonable prices.

Other News and Shenanigans:

There isn’t too awful much to report outside of the mountain of major developments (thank God). Andrew Donoho posted some dope behind the scenes pics starring Clifford the Vulture. Josh is still occasionally tweeting and posting pictures of hanging out with Debby, his brother, and other cool people. Tyler is still quiet as ever, and I’m not sure why that shocks people. It bears repeating that he was rarely on social media pre-hiatus, that this is probably going to be a regular thing, and that stepping back from social media is honestly one of the better decisions one can make for your mental health and overall leisure time.

The only really notable thing that I missed during my vacation was Mark clarifying on Twitter that the Trench music videos have all been in chronological order and that he’s been happy to be giving Andrew Donoho creative control over how the videos have developed. With how cryptic things have been surrounding this album’s release, it’s refreshing to have a voice of reason to tell it like it is. Thanks Mark.

Chart Performance:

While the new song has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind, its predecessors have still been putting in work... but perhaps not as much as might have been expected based on the last album cycle’s success.

In spite of the release of the new music video two weeks back, “Nico and the Niners” slipped off the Hot 100 after its first week and has declined in all metrics. This week, “Jumpsuit” also fell off the Hot 100 and has also been steadily sinking in sales and streaming. There are plenty of reasonable explanations for this: the too-heavy-for-Top-40 rock sound, the constant stream of other TØP content drawing focus away from any one song, the lack of promotional appearances from the band itself on TV and radio.

Many hopeful fans have pointed to the performance of “Stressed Out” as a hopeful sign that “Jumpsuit” may mount a future comeback, but I have my doubts about that comparison. 2015 was a very different time for the band- “Stressed Out”, like “Fairly Local” and “Tear In My Heart”, debuted on the Hot 100 because the Clique was as ravenous then as it is now, but the band still had next-to-no mainstream recognition. Those songs thus debuted low and fell off pretty quickly. It wasn’t until months later that the Clique’s grassroots support and the band’s rising esteem within the industry resulted in “Stressed Out” getting picked up at radio and being shared with new audiences, creating a snowball of promotion that launched Twenty One Pilots into the popular consciousness. When “Heathens” was released, the band’s profile was big enough to ensure it debuted at #14 and remained in the Top 40 for months. Compared to that performance, “Jumpsuit” is flopping commercially, no question.

However, there is still a glimmer of hope for the song’s future. While it is falling off pretty hard in most categories, it is still gaining spins at radio. It took #1 on the Rock Airplay chart for this last week. That means that more casual music listeners are hearing it than ever, which could make for another snowball where these listeners go back and search for the song themselves in the weeks to come. We will have to wait and see how the band and Fueled By Ramen decide to market the song and promote the album as it gets closer to its release date.

One thing is for sure: the band is not in any financial trouble. Even if “Jumpsuit” never returns to the Hot 100, even if “Levitate” is rejected by both lovers and haters of hip-hop and fails to chart, even if Trench somehow fails to match the Week 1 chart-topping sales of Blurryface even after the band picked up millions of new fans over the last three years, two things remain true: Blurryface made them more money than any individual will ever reasonably need, and they’ve already sold tens of thousands of tickets for their next tour. The days of worrying about this band are over for the foreseeable future; for now, we can just enjoy the music.

Power to the local dreamer.

|-/

#twenty one pilots #tyler joseph #josh dun #trench #levitate #jumpsuit #nico and the niners #top weekly update

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thejamzine-blog · 7 years ago

Text

JOYCE MANOR ALBUMS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST

In honor of the 7th anniversary of Joyce Manor’s debut album, here are The Jam’s hot takes on the band’s four full-lengths.

1. Joyce Manor

Though sometimes remembered as little more than the “Constant Headache” album by much of the band’s fanbase, which has grown astronomically since this album’s release, the 18 minutes of blistering, hook-filled basement punk on Joyce Manor’s full-length debut set the stage for hordes of indie-inspired, emo borrowing punk bands to come (whether they were directly pulling from Joyce Manor or not) but has rarely been matched since. In 2011, emo had converted to a mainstream sect with Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, and the like preaching the adapted gospel. Guitar-based indie rock that spawned in the early 2000s had given way to a major label rebranding of ‘indie’ that bared few resemblances. Joyce Manor harkened back to the college rock and DIY punk ethos of late ‘80s and early ‘90s acts that now define ‘classic indie.’

By the time the California quartet recorded this album they’d mastered simplicity, ferocious energy, and sentimentality. The blink-of-an-eye songs meet somewhere between The Ramones and early Violent Femmes, cutting songwriting down to the hooks and nothing but. Melodies are simple and instrumental breaks are really just melodies without words. “Constant Headache” takes the structure to a fully realized pop song, while others avoid explicitly playing melodies but outline it with quick changing power chords, like the pleading “Leather Jacket”—which eventually gives way to a melody-as-solo finale. Front man Barry Johnson’s lyrics read with just the right amounts of gentle emotion and youthful angst to appeal to the punk kids without alienating the melancholic ones.

Joyce Manor is a pop album in disguise. The production is indisputably lo-fi and the influence of punk and hardcore can understandably deceive on first listen but the taste for melodies and fearless editing make it one of the catchiest punk albums of the last decade. Despite the shameless pop aspects, it’s also one of the quirkiest and most idiosyncratic albums to come from the indie-punk-emo boom of that period (rivaling even The Front Bottoms at times). The lyrics are quotable by being effortlessly odd and unusual: “when you make a decent living will you buy me a train set and a hat so that I can sit alone in my room sending people away from the ones they love or crash them into buildings explosions derailments and screaming children oh my god I think I’m in love,” Johnson sings on “Derailed.” The album is a gem, and one that rarely gets the credit it deserves.

2. Never Hungover Again

Never Hungover Again is probably the best starting point for Joyce Manor. In contrast to the self-titled debut, the band’s third album has finely crafted production, less aggressive instrumentals, and a far clearer pop influence. In an early feature on Joyce Manor in the artists to watch section of Alternative Press, the band cited Green Day and Weezer as influences. Though the fast tempos and relentless drums of the first couple albums threw listeners off the trail, Never Hungover Again delivered on the promise of those references with an accessible and refined sound.

Still clocking in under 20 minutes, Never Hungover Again could again be summarized as quick punk takes on squeezed down pop songs, but the emphasizing and diminishing of certain aspects distinguishes the album. The tempos lean a tad slower, or at least the drums clear up space by tending towards steady beats over rapid-fire endurance tests. The added space makes melodies more easily recognizable and Johnson’s songwriting finds new ways to squish pop songs to half the length. “Victoria” overlaps verses and choruses to cut a straightforward pop song, with bridge and all, in less than two minutes. The lyrics, while still charmingly unusual, have largely traded out stream of consciousness run-on sentences for quirky tidbits with (at least vaguely) more relatable subjects. “Like old friends who’d never ask ‘how can you be happy when you wear all black?’ And they care, because they wanna” Johnson quips on “Schley,” a highlight track that boils the chorus down to one line that eventually explodes in a garage rock ending section.

The touching up of Joyce Manor’s sound is almost flawless. The polished recordings make the music joyfully clear and Johnson’s songwriting is aging beautifully. But there are occasional missteps. “Heart Tattoo,” while a fine hit for many of the mainstream-leaning pop-punkers new to the band, sacrifices Joyce Manor’s tact with cheesy, Tumblr post-begging metaphors that pull the refining process into question. Still, elsewhere the band more explicitly states influences only hinted at before, producing some of their most interesting material: the new wavey “Falling In Love Again” and Smith’s-esque “Heated Swimming Pool” as examples.

3. Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired

If Joyce Manor is under credited, Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired is forgotten. Not present on the band’s Bandcamp or Spotify pages, it’s unclear if the band wants their second album to disappear or some sort of contract technicality has led to its obscurity. When I saw the band less than two weeks after the album’s release in April of 2012, they refused to play almost any songs from the album despite audience requests—my memory leads me to believe they played only “If I Needed You There” and “Violent Inside,” but I’m far from certain. They’ve also reworked “See How Tame I Can Be” and “Bride of Usher,” the two most new wave leaning tracks, as more traditional garage-punk Joyce Manor tunes for a split with Toys That Kill (in my opinion, the reworkings only prove how great the songs were to begin with, despite not fitting the band’s usual style).

Whatever the reason for OATIWSGT’s uncertain legacy, it’s a great album worth seeking out (it’s available on UK label Big Scary Monster’s Bandcamp, iTunes, and in physical formats if you look around). It’s possibly the band’s most diverse collection of songs, though that fact is obscured by the lo-fi glossing that covers all the tracks. “See How Tame I Can Be” and “Bride of Usher” borrow melodic and rhythmic tricks from ‘80s new wave and post-punk, the former featuring a drum machine sound and prickly guitar and the later featuring acoustic guitar and tambourine recalling The Smiths. Explicitly stating some influence or at least awareness of the ‘80s culture, Joyce Manor knocks out a speedy punk cover of The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star.” And, alluding to the softer tracks on the band’s most recent album, “Drainage” and “I’m Always Tired” give brief—even by Joyce Manor standards—tape hissing acoustic numbers to the already varied album.

Even with more stylistic variety the band’s standard quick paces, short durations, peppy punk drumming, and Johnson’s signature throaty yelp are all there; it’s actually somewhat misleading to describe the tracks as diverse. “Violent Inside” delivers an easy Joyce Manor hit that never was and opening track “These Kinds of Ice Skates” has all the lyrical peculiarity that one might expect pairing lines like “you can’t make a mistake on these kinds of ice skates” with “don’t you be my black plastic case for your glasses.” Though it could be seen as a collection of miscellaneous tracks and experimentations OATIWSGT actually plays as a surprisingly cohesive whole.

4. Cody

Perhaps it’s their most successful album yet, perhaps it’s their most critically acclaimed, though I’d guess Never Hungover Again takes that title, but Cody is their least endearing work. On their fourth album, Joyce Manor falls victim to many of the common failures of an indie or punk act moving to a major label—except, they’re signed to Epitaph and it’s their second album with the generally reliable punk label. More likely, the group saw the success of the more polished and refined Never Hungover Again (that could be success critically, financially, or personally) and attempted to expand upon it.

Cody combines elements of the band’s second and third albums while continuing to move more into mainstream pop-punk territory. It’s even brighter than Never Hungover Again with even more simplified and relatable lines but it follows less genre constraints, as OATIWSGT did. On “Fake I.D.” Johnson offers witty quips about what seems to be a Kanye West debate following a hook-up, before reducing the death of a friend to “I feel sad, I miss him he was rad.” The songwriting simplicity walks a dangerous line between purposeful and poorly thought out often losing balance and allowing cheap rhymes and easy teenage cool kid references (fake I.D.s, smoking weed, etc.) to slip in.

To the band’s credit, their pop-punk often veers away from the tropes of a genre plagued by stereotypes and clichés. While there is a pitch-corrected tone to the vocals and the music has a certain I-could-spend-hours-debating-which-Weezer-album-is-best sense to it, Joyce Manor opts for less nasally singing and chugging chords leaning instead towards power pop chunky riffs and jangling guitars. Tracks like “Last You Heard of Me” and “Stairs�� even nod briefly toward the shoegaze revival and “Do You Really Want to Not Get Better” makes a surprisingly sincere attempt at Tumblr-era sentimentality. Though it’s a definite weak spot in Joyce Manor’s discography, Cody opens up the band’s music to a much larger audience without totally betraying older fans expectations. And, to be honest, if you’re just being introduced to the indie and punk genres now, it’s probably an excellent gateway. –CC

Only full-length (if you can call these 20-minute little spurts “full-length”) albums are included in this list. ‘Collection’ isn’t included because it is a compilation of other releases, mainly ‘Constant Headache’ which isn’t included because it’s just an EP and some of the material appears on ‘Joyce Manor.’ They also have some splits, earlier demo-type releases, and do a great cover of The 6ths “Falling Out of Love With You.” You’re all big kids, use the internet and look ‘em up. If you’re not a big kid, my apologies. Send me a message with a parent or guardian’s signature and I will attempt to guide you through the internet. Also, how the heck did you get here if you don’t know how to use the internet?

#Joyce Manor #Self-titled #Never Hungover Again #Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired #OATIWSGT #Cody #Best Albums #Ranking #Indie Rock #punk #emo #music #The Jam #Zine

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howyoustudythestars · 7 years ago

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My thoughts and theories on the Cinematic previews

Warning: long, spoiler-y post ahead!

Fiji Water: Earlier, on Reddit, many HootOwls took Abbey’s words and the announcement video to propose the theory that the album would follow Adam’s life journey from beginning to end. However, while I think it’s true for the most part, I don’t think it’s the case any longer. Fiji Water seems to be about, in my opinion, to be about Adam’s experience with Republic Records, thinking about what it would be like if he “knew then (or when he was first signing onto the label) what [he] knows now”. Think of it as being the only song on the album dealing with the label and whatever issues he had with it. (This theory is backed up by this old Instagram photo that I just came back across... He was 22 in 2008/2009, right around the time he signed onto what was then called Universal Republic Records.) Plus, the Owl City sound is back in full force on this song!

The 5th of July: The song is literally the story of his birth. What I like about this (and many other songs) is that it seems to be straight out of his scores project, with the addition of lyrics and vocals. It comes out really well!

All My Friends: Story time -- Back when The Midsummer Station was being promoted before released, I remember the fans were very much up in arms over the poppier direction. Adam defended his decision numerous times, including that his label had anything to do with it. I was not among the fans who didn’t like the Shooting Star EP or Good Time, but when I heard the full preview on iTunes when they were pushed out and announced, I listened and something clicked. Like every song on the album had a purpose. Even Good Time seemed less out-of-place when heard in context, and I’m sure many HootOwls agree with me on the full-length album. Basically, the same thing happened with All My Friends. It might not make sense as a standalone song, but I think it might work better in context of the full-length album. And if you’re still not on board, wait until you hear what I have to say about the Alt. Version.

House Wren: Am I the only one who thinks that this song stems from these old Instagram photos here and here? Sounds like a mix of both the Scores project and classic Owl City. The lyrics sound encouraging. Hopefully, this is on reel 1, as it’s one of the many songs I can’t wait to hear!

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: That moment of clarity isn’t there for this song. It may come with the full album, however. I’ve already shared my thoughts and opinions on why I’m not particularly fond of this song (though I’m not put off by it) so I won’t be going into any more detail here.

Montana: Something he put in his Instagram posts various times as a hashtag. I’m super pumped about this song. It sounds again like a mix of classic Owl City and the Scores project.

Lucid Dream: The song I’m probably the most excited for. There’s a lot of Trance and EDM elements in here, and the lyrics sound straight off of Ocean Eyes. I’ve got a GIF edit of sorts in mind already, but I won’t say much more than that. I can’t wait to hear it!!

Always: When I first heard the preview, I thought it was either a love song or a song inspired by his parents’ love for Adam. But as I listened to it more, I realized it’s likely about his Faith: “Hold fast”, “I am by your side”. The beginning of the chorus harkens back memories of both Angels and Tidal Wave, from All Things Bright and Beautiful and Ocean Eyes, respectively. One thing I secretly hope is that Adam doesn’t directly mention God or Jesus, only because it would then open up to a wider audience for those to appreciate the song, much like with Meteor Shower.

Cloud Nine: I firmly believe this is the song is from the Twitter Q&A video. This will either be like Ocean Eyes of The Midsummer Station, but I think it will be a solid song. Clearly a love song with an Ocean Eyes-era instrumental.

Winners Never Quit: This one reminds me the most of Ocean Eyes. It seems to be a song of perseverance, maybe with a tinge of stuff about making music after the wild success of Fireflies in 2009.

Madeline Island: With a mix of the Owl City sound and the Scores project, it reminds me lyrically like something off of Maybe I’m Dreaming! Maybe even On the Wing to an extent... but it’s gold. I think it might be a love song, but I’m not sure.

Be Brave: There’s no doubt that this is a love song. This is purely sounding like it’s from the Scores project. It’s almost like a song you’d expect to hear in romantic comedy musical movie. Very much a slow love song, and while those types of songs, in general, are ones that I don’t really like, something is coming off sounding right here. My guess is that it’s about Adam and Abbey.

New York City: The album announcement song! Plus these teased lyrics are heard at the end of the preview. Very much like Ocean Eyes. It’s one of the songs that I can’t wait to hear.

Firebird: Another song I can’t wait to hear. Sounds instrumentally like a mix between Dementia and Bird with a Broken Wing. Furthermore, I think the line “A basement full of boys building homemade bombs” is a reference to the one, the only, Flames Pond! I can’t wait to hear this song, as heard in a lyric in the Alt. Version preview, is about fearing you grew up too fast and missing childhood. Think a more nostalgic approach to All My Friends, but with way better lyrics.

Cinematic: I’m super pumped about this song. I think this song is encouraging people to follow their dreams, just like him. This is probably the closest that Adam has to a title track that actually deals with the theme of the album. He’s had a few in the past that open up the album with the right sort of theme (The Real World, Dreams and Disasters), and he had a title track in Japan that was purely a short instrumental piece (Mobile Orchestra), but this song is coming out right. I think this song is designed to wrap up the album on the right note, but of course, we still have Alt. Versions to go yet.

All My Friends (Alt. Version): A way better version of All My Friends than the official version out now. Stripped down, with vocals I think from Matt Thiessen and Breanne Duren in there, it comes off a lot less cheesy and a lot more enjoyable.

Montana (Alt. Version): Oh, the Sky Sailing feels... (But I’ll ask again: if Sky Sailing isn’t dead, why does it seem like the lines between Sky Sailing and Owl City are being blurred together? I have no problem with the song, though, but I’m just confused as to why Adam hasn’t said that Sky Sailing is not dead when he seems to be incorporating it more and more into the canon of Owl City.)

Firebird (Alt. Version): A Score-styled instrumental infused take on Firebird. I’m not sure how well it will work as an album closer, but I’m still excited to hear it!

Closing thoughts: “All My Friends” is not representative of the album at all. There’s a lot more on here that I think is better. On the one hand, I don’t know why Adam thought it was the best song to first release from the project, but on the other hand, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing. And besides, I feel that both All My Friends and Not All Heroes Wear Capes are the weakest songs off of Cinematic, and with those two out of the way, the only thing left to release is pure gold!! I had reservations about pre-ordering the album following the release of All My Friends, but the preview took those reservations away. I can’t preorder at this given moment (due to financial issues), but rest assured, I’ll pre-order the album in time to receive the first reel!

#owl city #adam young #cinematic

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28allthelove28 · 7 years ago

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Why I Believe In ‘Larry Stylinson’ And Why It Is Very Beautiful (18,000 words)

Author’s note

Why have I written this?

One Direction unexpectedly came into my life in December 2015 and never left. I tried to fight it, then I accepted that it is not a bad thing. Perhaps I was hesitant to embrace the obsession because as someone whose favourite bands are The Cure, Suede and PJ Harvey, it just all seemed very out of character and unexpected.

I will confess that the immediate appeal of One Direction was their good looks and dress sense. I happened to see them on Alan Carr Chatty Man and was completely taken aback at Harry Styles’ long curls, tattoos and deep voice - especially because the last time I’d seen him was as a 16 year old X-Factor contestant years ago. However, after the initial ‘Oh my God! When did they become men? Why did no one tell me? I need to catch up!’ reaction, I did some excessive YouTubeing and the main thing I discovered was what genuinely lovely and talented people One Direction are - and that is why I am still here. I like their music, I love them as people, and they make me happy, and there is no shame in that.

It took very little time during my early research into Harry and the band to come across the ‘Larry Stylinson’ rumours – the couple name fans have adopted for him and Louis Tomlinson from the band. After watching a few freddieismyqueen videos, I could clearly see there was something there.

I must admit that my One Direction and Larry obsession began as an escape from the stresses of writing my dissertation, then deepened as a coping mechanism when my five year relationship ended. The 1D and Larry fandom became a safe space with no memories of my ex, a totally new thing, which was completely for me. Perhaps I just needed to transfer all of my remaining affection into One Direction as a replacement for him, because it was less painful to love boys I had never met and that could not leave me. Maybe I became invested in protecting Harry and Louis’ relationship to eradicate the fact I could not save my own. But now, now that One Direction and their fans have helped make me stronger and made me realise that he must not have been the Louis to my Harry, I am here no longer because I need to be, but because I want to be.

I do need to make it very clear that I do not believe Harry and Louis are together simply because I want to. I do not believe they are together because I like the idea of them together - I like the idea of them together because I believe that they are together. I don’t ‘ship’ it, I support it.

What I have written in the following essay is the basis of why I believe they are in love. I must again make it clear that I have in no way written this as a method of exposing Harry or Louis, or prying into their privacy, and I am not trivialising their situation. I also do not want Harry or Louis to come out unless they want to, and if they do then it should happen when they want and how they want. Harry and Louis’ actions, which I discuss in the essay, imply that they do want fans to know about them, so I therefore feel like it is fair to listen to what they tell us and to share the story that they want us to hear but cannot yet tell us themselves.

If I’m honest the main reason why I decided to write this is because my friend said she didn’t like Louis and that she thought he was homophobic. I do not wish to force my beliefs on anyone but I simply did not feel comfortable with Louis wrongfully being perceived as homophobic. I began writing this as a way to back him up, and I just got carried away and wrote thousands and thousands of words.

Harry and Louis’ situation is very complex, especially because I obviously do not actually know them and this technically is none of my business, I just got swept up in wanting to support them. Because so much ‘evidence’ for their relationship exists, it is often difficult to keep up with everything, I therefore found writing this was also a helpful method for me to organise all the information.

It seems very extreme for me to have gone to such lengths but that is the nature of getting obsessed with something, not wanting to stop till you have reached some form of conclusion. As I said, I do not want this essay to seem in any way disrespectful to Harry or Louis, or anyone in the LGBTQI+ community. Essentially I just feel that Harry and Louis deserve for people to understand what I believe to be the ‘real’ them. I do not want people to believe the false media portrayal of homophobia and womanising when I have seen proof which denies that, and I feel like it is respectful to Harry and Louis for people to, if possible, understand what kind, loving, strong and inspiring people I believe them to be.

Thank you for reading this!!

If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to send them my way. The points I discuss are not in chronological order but have occurred since One Direction began in 2010 and up until May 2017, when I finished this essay. Therefore depending on when you read this, I may have missed out vital information which had not occurred when I printed this, which essentially means this text will remain unfinished until Larry are free. I have not included proof for each point I make but most things appear in the recommended reference links at the end. If you want proof photos for anything in particular, just ask!

My One Direction/Larry twitter account is @All_The_Love_28 my email is [email protected] and my website with some examples of my One Direction/Larry fan art is ionafrancesbrowndoingart.wordpress.com – at some point I will post a link to an online version of this essay on my blog.

Lots and lots of love and hugs

Love is love x

Contents:

4. Non denials

4. Outing

5. Complimentary tattoos

7. Supportive moments

8. Sexual moments

9. Domestic moments

11. Marriage or engagement conspiracy

12. Songs and lyrics

14. Stunts - Supposed girlfriends

16. Management control

17. Louis’ supposed baby

20. Communication with fans – Concert signs

20. Social media messages

22. Blue and green meaning

22. Fashion choices

23. Bee symbolism

24. Rainbow bears

25. Summary

26. Conclusion

27. References

A DOCUMENT OF EVIDENCE WHICH I FEEL PROVES THE THEORY THAT HARRY STYLES AND LOUIS TOMLINSON FROM ONE DIRECTION ARE IN A LOVING, LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIP:

Non denials –

When an interviewer asked Harry who his first real crush was he answered Louis Tomlinson. The interviewer again asked “Who?” and he still replied Louis Tomlinson. The interviewer then asked Harry how Louis feels about him and he replied “It’s mutual, we’ve discussed it.” One Direction were asked which celebrity they would most like to play spin the bottle with, Louis whispered Harry Styles. Louis said that he would marry Harry and he told a magazine interviewer that he’d fallen madly in love with Harry. When a fan asked Harry if him and Louis were dating he smiled, nodded and said yes and when she replied “I figured” Harry grinned. When a fan asked Louis when he was going to propose to Harry he said it’s confidential but they were already engaged. When Harry was asked how ‘Larry Stylinson’ were going he said “Yeah it’s going well, he’s in the other room.”

There is a video of Louis describing Harry as “My boy” and he tweeted about him saying “My love.” When Louis was asked if he liked anyone he said “I’m rather fond of a certain curly boy but I don’t want to jinx it yet.” Harry tweeted Louis calling him his “Hero” and “Man crush.” When Louis was asked about his bromance with Harry he said “We try not to disclose much about our relationship to the public.” When asked if they snuggle on the tour bus Harry said “We’re trying to cut it down a bit but yeah, sometimes” then Niall Horan from the band said “They don’t want to reveal too much about their relationship.” When the band were told that people thought Harry and Louis were together Liam Payne said “You are though, aren’t you?”

Over the past seven years neither Harry nor Louis have ever publicly said out loud in a clear, official statement that they are not in a relationship or never were. Louis has not once actually said in person that Larry is not real. He has only said specifically worded things which sound like denials but do not actually say that Larry is not real, such as “Larry is a conspiracy theory” and “People genuinely think we’re in a relationship” and “Quite frankly we just started out saying we were really good friends.” They have only actually said ‘No’ when interviewers have said ‘So, there’s nothing going on?’ they haven’t actually said themselves ‘There is nothing here.’ The only time Harry actually denied it, he cried after the interview and Niall hugged him.

Outing (revealing a sexuality) –

In 2015 Harry and Liam were asked what four traits they look for in a lady, Liam said “Female” then Harry said “Not that important.” This caused a lot of media attention and widespread speculation about Harry’s sexuality but in the next interview One Direction had, they were asked if there were any rumours they would like to clear up and set straight, they didn’t mention anything, Louis said he couldn’t think of anything and Harry mumbled “Some of them I quite like.” When Harry was asked when the last time he kissed a girl was, he pulled a scared face, all the band laughed and Liam said “When was the last time you liked it?” An interviewer asked how 1D tell a girl that they aren’t interested in them, Harry replied “I told someone I was gay once” then Louis laughed and replied “That is incredible, Harry!” When the band jokingly suggested that Niall should pretend to have slept with a man he laughed and said no then Harry said “Hey, don’t knock it till you try it.” Harry liked a photo on Instagram thinking it was of a man stripping and he liked an international day against homophobia photo which read “Support feminine boys.“ Harry’s friend Nick Grimshaw joked that Diana Ross’ I’m Coming Out was Harry’s favourite song and Harry has called several men attractive, dishy and “Outrageously handsome.”

Whenever the band are asked what they look for in a girl Harry always uses gender neutral pronouns like “Someone”, he once began to mention his “Boyfriend” but stopped himself and once he said it helps if you can “Hold a conversation with HIM” and the interviewer replied “Good on you for saying that.” Harry also said a good way to stay on your crush’s mind would be to “Send HIM a flower.” In 2017 an interviewer even asked Harry if he’s labelled his sexuality and he replied “No. I’ve never really felt the need to really. No. I don’t feel like it’s something I’ve ever felt like I have to explain about myself.” Harry said that equality and gay rights were not political but “Fundamental.” Someone joked that they went to the same gay gym as Harry but they later said that they wanted to clear up that they’d never gone to a gay gym, so Harry replied “There’s nothing wrong with it.” Harry tweeted a photo of two men cuddling (who looked like him and Louis) then deleted it.

Harry told Zayn Malik during an interview to not say that Louis is gay. In May 2017 Harry followed someone on Twitter shortly after they posted a video saying “Louis we know you’re gay.” Nearly 20 different footballers sent Louis congratulation tweets for becoming the first signed openly gay footballer in his town, without realising that he was being closeted. The band The Chainsmokers regularly like Larry proof photos on Instagram, they tweeted “Larry” then deleted it and they tweeted about ‘Love is love’ with a photo edit of Louis’ ‘It is what it is’ tattoo. These things only happened after Louis started following and interacting with them on Instagram. Louis’ song was played at the LGBT awards. A fan said she witnessed someone in a club rudely call Louis gay so he shouted back “I wouldn’t do you anyway.” Someone called Louis homophobic at a bar but said he looked devastated about it and really apologised to her then just walked away quietly and even left his drink behind, before his friend came over and told her they shouldn’t have said that. On three separate occasions when Louis’ been asked about how many girlfriends he’s had he has said “Define girlfriends” before answering that he’s only had one serious “Relationship.” There is a video of Louis saying “I’m gay” then he jokes “It’s pretty unfortunate isn’t it Eleanor” who was his ‘girlfriend’ at the time, then management shout “Be quiet.”

Louis, Louis’ mum, Harry and Harry’s mum all follow the same Larry Stylinson Twitter account and when someone on Instagram was being offensive Louis’ sister commented “I know my brother and I know he wouldn’t appreciate you using homophobic slurs.” Liam described One Direction as brothers and Louis smirked looking shocked and questioned “Brothers?” Louis’ mum tweeted “My son returns to his husband tomorrow @Harry_Styles x.” When a fan asked Louis’ mum if she supported Harry and Louis’ undeniable love for each other she replied “Forever! I love them both dearly.” Harry and Louis’ close friend and collaborator Ed Sheeran responded to a fan’s sign at his show which read “Play ‘Friends’ if Larry is real” by playing the song even though it wasn’t on the setlist. When Ed said that Harry was taken a fan shouted “By Louis” and he replied "Innit.” A fan asked One Direction’s long-term song writer if Louis and Harry hated the people who believed they were in a relationship and he replied “No way. Not at all!! Don’t ever think that!!!”

Complimentary tattoos –

Louis has a triangle tattoo on his ankle, which might possibly reference the branding of gay people with triangle tattoos during Nazi history and the later reclaiming of the triangle as a LGBTQ symbol. Harry has the Pink Floyd triangle tattoo but it does not match the official triangle of the band’s artwork because the rainbow veers off at a different angle and is drawn completely differently. Harry has talked about listening to Dark Side Of The Moon on repeat and it would be rare for an established tattoo artist to make a mistake on such an iconic image, especially on a high profile celebrity. Fans speculate that perhaps this was Harry’s way of getting a discreet rainbow tattoo and a triangle tattoo to match Louis’. Harry has the George Michael lyrics ‘Never gonna dance again’ tattooed across his ankles, George Michael struggled to come out but became a huge gay icon and activist. Harry has tweeted “You can tell a man by his ankles” which might link to his and Louis’ ankle tattoos.

Harry and Louis have the first words they said to each other tattooed in each other’s hand writing (Hi and Oops.) Fans speculate this because several times Harry has explained how he met Louis in the X-Factor bathroom and he tweeted the quote “I’m glad I was stood next to you at the urinals. If I had to have someone’s pee splashed on me I’d much rather have your pee than his pee.” A situation like that could lead to ‘Oops’, ‘Hi’. The first words of the character Harry was playing in a One Direction music video are “Oops, Hi” and One Direction’s friends and LGBTQ supporters Little Mix have a song called Oops. Harry got a tattoo of a ship and only 18 hours later Louis went to the very same tattoo parlour and got a tattoo of a compass with the word home written on it. Both Louis and Harry have written love songs referencing ships and home. They even got these tattoos during the time that the media were suggesting that Harry was dating Taylor Swift.

Harry has a heart tattoo on his arm and Louis has an arrow tattoo on his arm. Louis has a rope tattoo round his wrist, Harry has an anchor tattoo on his wrist. Harry has a birdcage tattoo, Louis has a flock of flying birds tattoo. Harry has another heart tattoo in the same place and in same style that Louis drew a heart on him in the X-Factor house. Louis has a similar heart tattoo on the same part of his arm. Louis has quotation marks on his wrist, Harry has the sentence “I can’t change” on the part of his wrist where Louis’ quotation marks are. Harry has a padlock tattoo and Louis has a key tattoo. All of these are the most popular and recognisable couple tattoos and are unquestionably romantic and only make sense or become complete when joined up alongside the other symbol. The majority of these complimentary tattoos have also been done on a large scale and are on very visible parts of the body, like their arms. Louis’ often said that he used to be totally against tattoos and never wanted any, but he has loads, and most of them complement or match Harry’s. Harry has his mum and sister’s names tattooed and shortly after him and Louis got their ship and compass tattoos Harry posted a photo of a couple’s matching love heart tattoos on Instagram with the caption “Siiiicckkk” this shows that he is a fan of couple tattoos and of having tattoos of the people he loves.

Harry got a rose tattooed on his arm and after over a year of requests and speculation from fans that Louis would get a dagger tattoo, he got a dagger tattoo in the same place on his arm that Harry’s rose is, and posed for a photo pointing to the dagger tattoo. In late 2016 Louis posted a selfie where the dagger was his only visible tattoo, his arm was deliberately positioned so that the dagger pointed directly to an image of a rose printed on the breast pocket of his tee shirt. This photo was posted during the ‘Larry month’ fan project where ‘larries’ were posting pictures on social media of Louis and Harry under a specific Larry related theme each week – Louis posted his selfie during the Larry tattoo week. Louis liked and retweeted fan account tweets about his single and in late 2016 he tweeted to Liam teasing him for wearing a chain, the photos of Liam in the chain were only available on fan-run update accounts, proving that Louis often checks up on fan accounts so therefore could have easily known about the Larry tattoo photo project.

During an interview and performance for Louis’ solo single he wore another tee shirt with an image of a rose on. A photograph of him wearing this tee shirt was one of the only promo photos that Louis posted on his Instagram account. The guitarist of Kings Of Leon (who is good friends with Harry) wore the same rose tee shirt on stage days after Harry saw them in concert. Harry was photographed in March 2017 wearing a rose ring. He was pointing his finger in each photograph, making sure that his ring could be seen. The website of the company who designed the ring also has a necklace with a dagger and a necklace of birds holding up an anchor and rope – both the birds and the anchor are incredibly similar to Harry’s birds and anchor tattoo. A few weeks before the photos of Harry’s ring, Louis followed Dover Street Market, the jewellery company who designed Harry’s rose ring has a store at Dover Street Market. Harry hasn’t taken the rose ring off since he began wearing it and two out of the five photos of him taken in April for Rolling Stone magazine clearly feature and exaggerate the ring. Harry has also started regularly wearing a large ruby stone ring which looks very similar to the red stone featured in Louis’ dagger tattoo.

Supportive moments –

Numerous videos show Louis and Harry waiting for each other while they get their hair done or film for separate interviews. They are attentive during each other’s live solos encase one runs out of breath and if they do the other finishes singing their part. They bring each other’s mic stands and water bottles over far more than with the other band members. They both frequently stare at each other adoringly in interviews, on stage and when the other is on the big screen or TV monitor, to the point where they actually miss questions. In a 2015 interview Liam even had to nudge Louis and he laughed saying “You two are so obvious.” When Harry was asked who he thought looked hot at the Brit Awards that night, after answering Adele he turned around to Louis and said sorry. When Harry was asked if he had a crush on Caroline Flack he said she was hot but then turned to Louis and said “So is Louis.” When an interviewer showed an old video of Harry and Louis playing football they beamed as they watched it and Louis whispered what looked like “My Hazza.”

When asked who his dream Valentine would be out of anyone in the world Harry turned to Louis, put his arm around him and said “You.” Niall said “You two are so cute”, Louis thanked him then Zayn said “You are quite cute” and Louis agreed that his Valentine was Harry, as he put his arm around him. The only days off which Louis had from doing promotional interviews for his and Steve Aoki’s single during the beginning of 2017 were Valentine’s Day and Harry’s birthday. Louis was unseen on those days, no explanation was given for his absence and Steve did the interviews on his own. During an interview on Valentine’s Day 2012 with only Louis and Harry, Louis gently patted Harry’s arm and said “Of course he’s hot”, Harry said he would describe Louis as “Funny, handsome, rugged and manly.” Louis was asked how long he’s been with his *girlfriend* (4 months) and Harry laughed saying about a year – which is how long Larry had supposedly been together at that point. Throughout the interview they were smiling and flirting so much that they have never been allowed to do an interview with just the two of them ever again, to the point where they were the only members of the band during their TV special to not have a feature together unless the entire band were there too, and they weren’t even allowed to sit next to each other in interviews again until 2015.

When getting the audience to sing Happy Birthday to Louis, Harry made them call Louis boo bear. When asked what he looked for in a relationship Harry said “Pick someone supportive.” Louis has shown constant support to Harry by growing his hair out at the same time as Harry until Harry felt confident enough to have long hair on his own. They grew their hair out together for a second time in May 2017, then got their hair cut together, confirmed by their hair stylist. Louis followed everyone who worked with Harry during his photo shoot for Another Man magazine and his filming for the Dunkirk movie and even posted a photo of his foot discreetly pointing to a Dunkirk poster in the background. Louis was also photographed on the film set of Dunkirk and was actively online when the trailer was released. The band were teasing Harry for stealing their food but Louis told Harry he didn’t mind sharing. Louis purposefully chose a fan question about Harry’s hair so he could answer it and say that “Harry’s hair is always curly and always wonderful.” Louis is cheeky and boisterous with all the band members but is always more gentle and considerate towards Harry, he made it so that Harry won every round of a game he wasn’t even playing and Harry is the only person Louis never pours water over during concerts. Harry is incredibly private and remained particularly unseen during the start of One Direction’s hiatus but during at least two very difficult episodes in Louis’ life (losing his mum and getting wrongfully arrested) Harry immediately appeared in public and allowed the circulation of many paparazzi images of himself, as a way of distracting people from Louis’ private life and taking the heat off him for a little bit.

Sign language - Harry and Louis constantly gesture a ‘thumbs up’ to each other on stage, before each other’s solos and during interviews. When signalling the sound techs to turn Harry’s mic up Louis always draws a heart shape with his hands and to get Louis’ mic louder Harry always points to his heart.

Sexual moments *trigger warning*

Even from their first videos, photoshoots, performances and interviews as a band Harry and Louis are always touching or awkwardly stretching uncomfortably so that they can be touching - arms round each other, whispering, biting, hands on each other’s legs, playing with each other’s hair, hitting and patting each other’s bums, holding each other’s crotches, play fighting, hugging and stroking each other’s arms, hands and faces – considerably much more frequently, purposefully, secretly and intimately than the other band members.

There is a video of Harry and Louis walking along holding hands. They have pretended to passionately kiss each other in at least three interviews and Harry once told Louis to “Kiss me, you fool.” Louis has gently licked Harry’s nose, both Harry and Louis have both kissed dolls of each other. Louis kissed Harry’s cheek and Harry kissed Louis’ thumb. Louis and Harry kissed whilst wearing masks. When One Direction won an award Harry kissed Louis’ forehead during a group hug. There is a photo of Harry and Louis kissing which Harry said was photoshopped but there are no known versions of any original images which could have been used to create an edit. There are two poor quality videos in which Harry and Louis appear to be kissing, one in which they are in a bar in Wellington and Louis shouts “Boyfriend” then either kisses or initiates to kiss Harry but Harry turns him around to remind him that there were fans with cameras. There is only one low quality video from that night in Wellington although there were many fans outside the bar recording. In March 2017 a still image of high quality footage appeared from a girl who claims that One Direction’s management team paid her to hide the footage. When the town Wellington was mentioned in an interview Harry and Louis immediately went serious and quiet and Liam once read out a fan sign at a concert which said “Investigate Wellington.”

In a video Louis said that he noticed Harry’s six pack was trending and said that Harry had “A nice little body.” On stage Harry said that Louis “Looked lovely.” A fan threw fluffy handcuffs on stage, straight away Harry walked over to show them to Louis and Louis said “Later.” Harry tweeted that no one should ever make eye contact with anyone whilst eating a banana because of the sexual connotations, but before eating a banana on stage he turned to Louis and said “Look at me” then Zayn asked Louis is he was ok. When asked about cleaning up after a party Harry said that him and Louis were on their hands and knees for two days straight, Niall laughed and said “You enjoyed those days off” Louis stammered and stuttered and nodded for a long time then said “We did, we did.” In a different interview that same day the band were asked what they were doing the day before and Louis said “Trying to walk” Liam laughed and said “You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm” to which Louis replied “Ohh yeah. The early bird gets the wood on.” Harry noticed and smirked. When asked to describe Louis is four words Harry said “Louis is spontaneous, loud, loud and loud.” The day after Louis and Harry were both in the same location again Louis was seen walking with a limp and when asked why he answered “No comment” and hurried out the shop. Harry tweeted to Louis “Higher and faster, you feel me?” Louis replied “I feel you man.” In the background of an interview with just Niall you can hear Harry seriously say “Lou, can I give you a blowjob?” and Louis seriously replies “I’d love it if you just wait.” Niall notices and laughs, saying “That’s the real question.”

Both Louis and Harry are frequently seen with love bites in the same places on their necks and when Harry was asked about a visible love bite Louis said “I gave him it.” Harry teased Niall on Twitter so Niall replied “You wait till I tell everyone how you actually got that love bite.” The band were asked if their love bites were from within the band, Harry leapt on Louis trying to give him one and Louis said “I knew you were going to do that.” An interviewer said to Liam and Niall that “Harry is on vocal rest today so he’s laying down resting, where’s Louis? Is he on vocal rest as well?” Niall looked shocked and worried and quickly looked at Liam who said “Nah, I think he’s just tired” then they both laughed.

Harry and Louis publicly flew together in 2015 and when their plane landed Harry’s shirt was ripped in at least two places and Louis had a big smile on his face. In an interview after this incident the band were asked if any of them were in the mile high club and Harry and Louis answered yes. An interviewer jokingly touched Harry’s bum then when Harry was later asked how it made him feel he laughed and said “Sad” but with a big smile on his face then Louis said “He told me he was intrigued.” Louis and Harry have disappeared behind the stage at the same time as each other during live shows several times and they once arrived late to an interview looking dishevelled whilst rearranging themselves as Harry said he lost his trousers and Louis said “It was just a bit of banter.” In a tour video Zayn says to Louis “I know you like dick.” Louis just laughs and doesn’t say anything back. The band were asked what their favourite ride at Alton Towers was and Harry whispered to Louis “You were mine.” Harry tweeted Louis saying he looked sexy and Louis replied saying he was being “Seduced” by Harry’s curls to which Harry admitted that was his plan. When asked who was getting the Brit Award head Louis said “Harry’s getting head.” When the band were asked what they would be doing if they weren’t in One Direction Louis said he thought Harry would have been a horse rider and in 2015 Harry said one of his favourite things to do was horseback riding. In the same interview in 2015 when asked what 4 things he sucked at (meaning was bad at) Harry smirked and pretended to leave the interview then answered “Lollipops.”

A fan heard moans from One Direction’s tour bus and saw Harry’s hand pressed against the window (they recognised his ring) Louis came out of the bus with scratches on his back. Harry then tweeted “Everyone has a titanic for the first time face” – referencing the hand against the steamed window scene. At a gig the next day Harry expressed a lot of pain when sitting down and when he saw a fan noticing this he laughed and held his finger to his lips to jokingly shhh her and keep her quiet. An interviewer asked Harry and Louis who goes in front and who goes behind when they play Mario Kart to which they responded – Louis: “I think we kind of share that really” Harry: “Sometimes I take the front, if Louis’ a bit tired I’ll go behind and push him along” Louis: “We’re both quite generous to each other. Sometimes Harry should get to do what he wants to do and go first.” Before Liam asked Louis what flavour Harry was he said “I’m gonna ask you something I don’t want to ask you.” During an interview someone joked that Louis could cover up his penis with a carrot and Harry said “I don’t think it’d cover it.” Louis told a magazine interviewer that Harry had once woken him up by hitting him over the head with his penis. When Harry was asked what keeps him up at night he answered “MANky panky” not ‘hanky panky.’ When an interviewer asked Harry to twerk Louis said “Don’t act like you hate it.” Harry was asked if he was good with his hands and Louis happily nodded and said “Reeaally good” then Liam looked at Louis and laughed. Sexual moments or innuendos are never made between the other members of One Direction as regularly, knowingly or explicitly as they are between Harry and Louis.

Domestic moments

Harry and Louis moved to London and lived together as soon as they left the X-Factor when they were only 16 and 18. Harry said that no one in the band knew what was going to happen once they left the show but he also said “Me and Louis always said we wanted to move in together.” Harry said Louis never washes up or makes his bed or cooks but he wouldn’t want to live with anyone else from the band. Louis got a ‘Thank you’ printed in the newspaper saying “Harry, thank you for making me egg on toast every day, love Boo in London.” Louis once tweeted the hashtag ‘We live together deal with it.’ One Direction’s management decided to make people believe that Harry and Louis didn’t live together anymore but when Niall said the band didn’t live together Harry really obviously winked at Louis and Louis whispered “No we still live together.”

In the One Direction movie Louis’ tee shirt was in Harry’s hotel room, Louis’ lighter was on Harry’s bedside table, the other side of Harry’s bed was unmade as if someone slept beside him and in one scene Louis was actually asleep in bed next to Harry. Louis said “Our” room key. In 2017 Harry said “We” were living with the band he wrote his album with and when Louis discussed how he’s the only one who would sleep on the tour bus and not in hotels, he said that Liam would sometimes join “Us” An interviewer joked that Harry was cheating on Louis so Louis replied “We’ll have to split the bed.” On two separate occasions Harry has talked about Louis sitting in his bed with him. Louis told an interviewer that Harry sleeps with his mouth open, Liam then said that Harry tries to sleep on people and Louis agreed, saying “Yeaaap.” A Christmas tree company said they delivered a tree to Louis’ house in London but Louis doesn’t live in the area of London they said – Harry does. Harry and Louis have been subconsciously mirroring each other’s actions at the same time consistently since Harry’s mum even pointed it out in 2011, this is a sign of people who spend a large amount of time together and usually live together, although mirroring occurs with the other band member too, it occurs far less frequently than between Harry and Louis (highly recommended mirroring video in references.)

Although Harry and Louis aren’t supposed to be living together anymore they have been showing up in the same places on the same days and constantly being located in LA and London and Yorkshire and Jamaica at the same times and then going publicly unseen at the same time for the same duration of time, regularly for the past 7 years, and particularly during the band’s current hiatus. Just one example being May 2017 when Louis left his UK photoshoot to be in LA only for the same duration of time that Harry was in LA filming for their friend James Corden’s TV show and then he returned home to continue the photoshoot. Numerous people with no reason to lie, and often not even in the 1D fandom, have spotted Louis and Harry together, in clubs, shopping, driving, having meals and behaving like a couple, kissing and holding hands. Harry and Louis were seen in Jamaica around the time of Harry’s birthday, during this time Louis got his arrow tattoo within days of Harry having gotten his heart tattoo. They are frequently online at the same time and whenever Louis goes on holiday with friends Harry is often spotted wearing a new piece of jewellery once Louis’ returned, e.g. Louis went to Barcelona and a few days later Harry was seen wearing a Barcelona coins bracelet.

On Halloween Louis wore white face paint to go out clubbing whilst Harry said he stayed in and during an interview the next day Harry had traces of white paint in his hair. On Halloween the next year, the exact same thing happened. When Zayn was feeding Louis and talking about their bromance Harry threw Zayn’s food away and said he was getting jealous. After an interviewer asked if Harry had moved out (before fans were made to think he had) Harry said no and Zayn said to him “You’ll never leave Louis will you?” Harry shook his head and said no. There are several photos of the same fans meeting both Louis and Harry on the same day and you can even see Harry waiting in a car in the background of a photo of Louis posing with a fan. Louis’ laugh was heard in the car that came to drive Harry home. In the background of a video of Louis meeting fans at his charity football event, that Harry wasn’t supposed to be at, you can hear someone asking Harry how he is and hear him answering. Harry’s voice was also heard in the background of Louis’ family’s snapchats so now they often mute the sound.

On numerous occasions when Louis has been asked what the most romantic thing he’s ever done for someone was, he always described cooking someone their favourite meal. He’s explained that he never cooks and the one meal that he cooked was chicken stuffed with mozzarella and wrapped in Parma ham with some homemade mashed potatoes. Every time he has described this meal over the past 5 years he has acted out the making of each ingredient and when the band were asked about cooking again Harry acted out the movements of Louis’ meal even though Louis wasn’t talking about it. Harry tweeted a picture of Louis and captioned it “Louis’ first cooking experience.” This lead fans to speculate that Louis’ meal was for Harry, then in an interview after Louis described the dish as tasting pretty good for his first meal, Harry even nodded slightly and made a small noise of agreement.

So, Harry documented the first meal Louis ever cooked and Louis said the first meal he ever cooked was the most romantic thing he’s ever done. Louis wasn’t dating his *girlfriend* or anyone else at the time which Harry posted the photo so the ‘first meal he’s ever cooked’ which was the ‘most romantic thing he’s ever done’ was done when he was supposedly single (but publicly living with Harry and not denying their relationship.)

Marriage or engagement conspiracy –

On the 28th September 2013 fans saw Louis and Zayn waiting nervously at a location in London wearing suits, soon after Harry turned up at the same location in a suit. That same day Louis’ mum tweeted “Good decision Louis.” Ed Sheeran tweeted “My two best friends got married today” Louis’ *girlfriend* tweeted “I’m getting bored of this now” and Harry tweeted “We don’t need no piece of paper from the city hall” – lyrics from a Joni Mitchel song about two musicians being in love. Louis has the number 28 on at least 3 of his sports shirts, on his ear piece and tattooed on his ring finger. Harry wore a sports shirt on stage at a One Direction gig and pointed to the number 28 on the back, referring to Michael Sam, the first openly gay player for the NFL. After months of only Instagraming black and white pictures the first picture Harry posted in colour had the number 28 in it.

In 2016 on the 28th September Louis’ mum liked a photo someone tweeted to her of them making Louis’ chicken, mozzarella and Parma ham meal. At a One Direction concert on September 28th 2015 Harry spoke to a couple in the audience about their wedding anniversary and said “We love love, we just love it. Thank you for being here on your ANNIVERSARY” shouting and exaggerating the word before asking if anyone else there was celebrating an anniversary. When making a speech about One Direction’s bass player getting married Harry talked again about how much One Direction love love and believe that love is love and should be celebrated in all forms.

Louis and Harry were publicly unseen for several days at the same time around 28th September 2016, the next time they were seen Harry was wearing a Jamaican bracelet, Louis had a Jamaican bag and they were both tanned. Fans therefore believe that Louis and Harry holidayed there for their anniversary. Their presence there was later proven when a bar worker posted a throwback photo of him and Louis in Jamaica and Harry revealed that ’We’ were living in Jamaica for months when recording his album. Fans have also began to notice that Harry and Louis are both publicly unseen and free of work commitments around the 28th of each month, suggesting a regular anniversary date night. Both of them often reveal big news on the 28th, for example Harry announced his tour dates on the 28th, released his photoshoot in Another Man magazine on the 28th September and chose to sing tracks number 2 and 8 from his album for his first ever solo performance.

Harry attended his first public event since the band’s hiatus with every nail painted except his ring finger and is regularly seen wearing a small pouch necklace rumoured to have his ring kept in. The website of the company who designed Harry’s rose ring list it as an engagement ring. Since 2013 (the year of the supposed wedding) Harry has constantly worn a plain silver band ring around his middle finger and despite often wearing many rings, that is the only one which has never changed and is the only one Harry ever plays with and touches when relationships and marriage are mentioned in interviews.

When the band were asked if they all want to be married and have children Louis and Harry immediately looked at each other, smiled and said yes. When asked again about marriage after the date of their supposed wedding or engagement, Louis said sometimes people get engaged for years, Harry agreed and started playing with the silver band ring around his middle finger. An interviewer showed Louis, Liam and Zayn photos of girls and asked if they would Facetime them (nothing else, only a Facetime) Liam pointed out that one of the girls looked like Harry. Louis agreed and when asked if he would Facetime her he answered very seriously “Marriage. Sex, kissing. The lot.”

Songs –

Louis changed the lyrics on stage from “I can’t compete with your boyfriend” to “MY boyfriend.” Louis also changed “You’ve got that one thing” to “You’ve got that big dick” and he changed “I have loved you since we were 18” to “I have loved HIM since we were 18” whilst looking at Harry. Harry changed the lyrics from “She walked straight into my heart and stole it… just like SHE already owned it” to “Just like HE already owned it” (and grabbed his crotch whilst singing HE) Harry constantly changes the lyrics from “I’m in love with you and all your little things” to “I’m in love with LOU and all HIS little things” whilst, more often than not, both Harry and Louis physically turn their whole bodies around to look at and sing directly to each other. Harry and Louis both cried on stage at the same time during the same part of the same sad love song. Whilst Louis sang “I have loved you since we were 18” Harry shouted “16”and pointed to himself – they met when Louis was 18 and Harry was 16.

Harry said the most romantic thing he can think to do for someone is write them a song…

Songs Harry wrote

· Olivia - When you go and I'm alone you live in my imagination. I live for you, I long for you, Olivia. Oh I love you, I love you, I love, I love, I love Olivia. I love you, it’s all I do – ‘Olivia’ and ‘olive’ are ways of saying I love you without actually saying it. On the same day both Harry and Louis tweeted “Olive.” When asked about who Olivia was Harry said “Is Olivia even a person? Is Olivia a place? Is Olivia an emotion? We don’t know!”

· If I Could Fly - If I could fly, I'd be coming right back home to you. I think I might give up everything, just ask me to. I’ve been going out of my mind. For your eyes only, I'll show you my heart. For when you're lonely and forget who you are. I'm missing half of me when we're apart. I've got scars even though they can't always be seen – Very slow ballad song. When talking through the album this was the only song where Harry didn’t discuss the lyrics or the meaning at all and Liam said he cried when he heard it.

· Something Great - I want you here with me like how I pictured it, so I don’t have to keep imagining. The script was written and I could not change a thing, I want to rip it all to shreds and start again. Is it too much to ask for something great? You’re all I want, so much it’s hurting

· Where Do Broken Hearts Go? - My mind is running in circles of you and me, anyone in between is the enemy. Are you sleeping, baby, by yourself, or are you giving it to someone else?

· Stockholm Syndrome - Who’s this shadow holding me hostage, I’ve been here for days. Who’s this whisper telling me that I’m never going to get away. I know they’ll be coming to find me soon. I fear I’m getting used to being held by you.

· Happily - You don't understand what you do to me when you hold his hand. I don't care what people say when we're together, you know I want to be the one to hold you when you sleep. I know that you're with him, I wonder if he knows that I touched your skin and if he feels my traces in your hair, sorry, love, but I don't really care. Baby be with me so happily.

· Walking In The Wind – The fact we can sit right here and say goodbye means we've already won. A necessity for apologies between you and me, baby, there is none.

· Woman – I’m selfish I know, but I don’t ever want to see you with him. I hope you can see the shape that I’m in while he’s touching your skin.

Songs Louis and Harry wrote together:

Perfect - When I first saw you from across the room I could tell that you were curious. If you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms and if you like having secret little rendezvous, if you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do then baby, I'm perfect for you. I might never be the arms that hold you any time you want them but we can live here in the moment, I can be the one you love from time to time. –

Both Harry and Louis have admitted that they write from personal experience. Whenever asked about Perfect Harry always calls it a love song and says it’s about just having fun with someone. In previous interviews Harry said “I think I’d definitely date Louis because I think you’d just have fun with him.” Whenever asked what he looks for in a relationship he always says “Someone you can have fun with.” Also for someone who says they write from personal experience but has never publicly had a serious long term relationship with anyone, Harry has written a lot of deeply romantic, committed and emotional love songs.

Songs Louis wrote:

Strong - My hands, your hands, tied up like two ships. Why is it so hard to say it? So many words we're not saying. I don't care, I'm not scared of love. Is it so wrong, that you make me strong? Think of how much love that's been wasted. People always trying to escape it. But there's nothing I'm running from. – Lots of fans write ‘strong’ on pride flags at One Direction concerts and Louis mentioned in an interview how nice it was.

Songs Louis wrote with Zayn:

Clouds- Love is never ever simple. Someday you’re gonna see the things that I see. Here we go again.

Songs Louis wrote with Liam:

· The End Of The Day - All I know at the end of the day is you follow your heart even though it'll break and you love who you love, there is no other way. You’re the one that I want at the end of the day.

· Ready To Run - Wherever you are is the place I belong, I want to be free and I want to be yours. There will always be the kind that criticise but I know we’ll be alright.

· No Control - Taste on my tongue, I don't want to wash away the night before. I don't care, it's obvious, I just can't get enough of you. – When asked what the song was about Harry and Louis kept looking at each other smirking and Niall kept looking at both of them laughing. Harry always dances the most and puts the most passion and energy into performing this song, much more than any other song.

· Through The Dark - I know you're only hiding and I just want to see you. We will find a way through the dark.

· Fireproof - I think I’m going to lose my mind. I got a feeling deep inside, it's taking all I've got. - In Happily, Harry wrote “We’re on fire now” then Louis responded with writing “Baby, we’re fireproof.”

· What A Feeling - But I can't hold you too close now. What a feeling to be right here beside you somehow. I wish I could be there now.

· Spaces - The spaces between us keep getting deeper, it’s harder to reach you even though I try. The spaces between us hold all our secrets, leaving us speechless and I don’t know why. Who’s going to be the first one to set it all on fire, forgetting every single promise we ever made.

· Home - So long I've been waiting to let go of myself and feel alive. So many nights I thought it over. Told myself I kind of liked her. But there was something missing in her eyes. It was there, I saw it in your eyes. You say you feel the same. Could we ever be enough? Baby we could be enough. It’s alright.

Although most of the songs Louis and Harry write can easily be seen to heavily reference their relationship and particularly the severe control they are under to hide it, Home written by Louis and If I Could Fly written by Harry are probably the biggest Larry songs - Harry purposefully titled it If I Could Fly instead of For Your Eyes Only so that it could complement Home. Harry tweeted “If I Could Fly” and the same day Louis tweeted the home emoji. Louis himself leaked the song Home and it was listed as an inspirational LGBTQ song. Home is the B-side to Perfect (the song Harry and Louis wrote together and being perfect for each other) and the single cover for Perfect/Home is one of the only photos Harry posted in colour. If I could suggest listening to any Larry songs it would be Home and If I Could Fly.

Harry’s solo album has a song called Two Ghosts, about two people who ‘Aren’t who they used to be’ and ‘Don’t say what they really mean’ and ‘Can’t touch what they see.’ This song was written in 2014, during the time that he and Louis were forced to stop interacting with each other in interviews, on social media and on stage, and around the time Harry began carrying a journal everywhere which he wrote “Let us love” “One and only” and “She doesn’t deserve his heart” on the cover. Harry waited 3 years to record the song because it was too personal for anyone else but him to sing and he has described it as “Pretty self-explanatory.” Harry has another song called Sweet Creature with the lyrics “Had another talk about where it’s going wrong, but we’re still young. We started two hearts in one home… wherever I go you bring me home.” An interviewer asked Harry who makes him feel like home, he stuttered and paused then replied “I think that’s a fair acknowledgement, yeah.” Another interviewer even asked Harry if the song was about Louis, he was quiet and hummed and stuttered for 18 seconds then said that he wouldn’t want to tell someone that what they believed was wrong, before not actually saying ‘No’ but saying he would “Lean towards no.”

Stunts: Fake girlfriends (beards) -

Louis was asked if he was happy Harry and Taylor Swift got together and he said “I’m happy that they’re good friends, yes. …If that.” When the band were asked their thoughts on ‘Haylor’ again Harry said “I don’t know” and Louis laughed with Harry saying “It is what it is” - which is a phrase Louis has tattooed on his chest. When Harry and Taylor went on a yacht holiday together Harry left Taylor alone on the boat for hours whilst he went off to share a Jacuzzi with some older men. Around the time ‘Haylor’ was announced Louis was so miserable in an interview that he was unable to complete answering a question and had to ask Zayn to take over. Liam asked Harry what was wrong with Louis whilst Louis remained quiet until asked his favourite One Direction song, he replied “I loved you first” the song is actually called ‘Loved you first’ and is only on the deluxe album as a bonus song. Liam then realised why Louis had been so uncharacteristically withdrawn and reassuringly patted him on the shoulder. A fan held a Taylor Swift related sign at a One Direction concert and Harry held his hand up to his chin to make a beard signal at them. Taylor Swift’s frequent use of celebrity boyfriends to gain media publicity is widely known and there are even rumours that she partially does this to hide her own secret same sex relationship with model Karlie Kloss. When Harry’s friend Nick Grimshaw joked that his song Two Ghosts was about Taylor Swift Harry literally waved his hands in the air and screamed “Aaarrgg noooo!!” live on Radio 1 and said “Help me Jeffrey!” (his manager) then he joked he was going to leave and go to Capital radio. The Radio 1 twitter account then posted a gif of Harry saying “Help me Jeffrey” and captioned it “Just leaving this here…” As comparison, Harry strongly denied Two Ghosts being about Taylor in about 3 seconds whereas it took nearly a minute for him ‘deny’ Sweet Creature being about Louis.

The media has regularly linked Harry to several different women over the years but he has only ever said they are friends and the only person Harry has ever admitted to dating is Louis. In 2017 Harry even had a photo of him and Kendal Jenner removed because the website didn’t have his authorisation to use it. Even though the media often claim him and Kendal were an item he has never confirmed it, Kendal’s sister denied it and Kendal herself said she hasn’t had a boyfriend in 2 years. When an interviewer called Harry a womaniser he shook his head sadly and said “You’re wrong.” Scott Mills joked about the fact Harry is linked to a different woman every Christmas (when One Direction get time off) by asking if he’s ever “Only gotten a girlfriend for the winter” him and Louis laughed and joked and Harry angrily said “Not on purpose.” In May 2017 the media began suggesting Harry was dating a new woman who was seen wearing the same shirt as him and who briefly attended one of his gigs, so when he introduced his female drummer on stage at that gig he mockingly said “Yes, she is wearing my shirt.”

Around the time Louis’ *girlfriend* Eleanor was first publicised a fan tweeted “If Louis is happy then so am I but spare a thought for Harry, he probably has a broken heart.” Harry retweeted it. Four minutes later Louis tweeted “Always in my heart @HarryStyles yours sincerely, Louis” this is the second most retweeted tweet in history and was tweeted the day that Harry was photographed sitting on Louis’ knee and Louis was photographed wrapping his arms round Harry’s waist on a Vespa. Harry is normally always polite and cooperative in interviews but when asked if he felt jealous about Louis and Eleanor he said “I don’t really want to talk about that to be honest” and he once tweeted “Kiss him again just to prove me that you can.” Eleanor tweeted Louis some Olly Murs lyrics so Olly tweeted her saying “Please don’t use my songs to tell a lie. I don’t want any part in that.” Harry cried whilst Louis and Eleanor walked past him holding hands and he threw something at her and Louis always looks miserable and uncomfortable around his ‘girlfriends.’ One of One direction’s management team signalled for Eleanor to kiss Louis when the cameras were on them, she asked Harry if she could and he said no. The same woman was often spotted in the background of several photographs of Louis and Eleanor out at public events, on ‘dates’, and it was discovered that she works for One Direction’s management team.

Liam and Zayn have frequently joked to Louis and Harry about beards and Chris Moyles said in an interview with the band that he heard a few of them have had beards for a long time but he wasn’t quite sure what that meant. Both Harry and Louis wear each other’s clothes when stunting with beards. Louis’ friend Calvin posted a photo of himself with Louis and Eleanor captioned something like ‘Partying for three days straight’ but then he liked a comment which said ‘More like pretending to be straight for three days straight.” The day that Louis broke up with Eleanor him and Harry were laughing and dancing on stage as the band enthusiastically sung a cover of I Will Survive. There is a video of Louis and his second fake girlfriend, Danielle, being told by paparazzi to stop walking and wait until they were ready to photograph them and one pap even shouted “Quiet on set.” Another video shows Louis being told to walk back and wait to leave a club until the paparazzi were ready. This lack of organic behaviour, and the fact that Louis often stares directly at the camera in the photos, proves that paparazzi are called and arranged beforehand to get publicity photographs of Louis with women and Louis out clubbing. Danielle is an unknown, small time actress but when she was *dating* Louis she was given a lengthy red carpet interview in which she was asked her opinion of Louis receiving hateful and aggressive WhatsApp messages, she just smiled and said “People love him a lot and just want a chance to talk to him so I can understand it.” People literally said they hope Louis’ children die and Danielle just laughed it off like it was no big deal, that doesn’t seem like a real supportive, caring girlfriend. Danielle was listed number 10 in the top 20 actresses of 2016, ahead of established actors like Kristen Stewart and Golden Globe nominee actresses. No one knows who Danielle is and she hadn’t had any acting jobs all year. One Direction’s management were probably paying the media to keep her name relevant and linked to Louis.

The day after their X-Factor performance Steve Aoki, close friend and collaborator of Louis’, followed Louis’ sisters and the rest of One Direction on Instagram, and liked Harry’s photo of a pride flag. 16 days later he followed Danielle but only after some fans tweeted him asking him to. Ruby Rose joked on Instagram about fake PR relationship stunts after Danielle followed her. After Liam unexpectedly interrupted Simon Cowell to prevent him from wrongfully accepting One Direction’s 2017 Brit Award on their behalf, he tweeted “When history becomes your future” with the thinking emoji, shocked emoji and peeping eyes emoji. This was unusually out of character and very confusing, fans wonder whether the tweet references the fact that Eleanor became Louis’ fake girlfriend again shortly after, and that him interrupting Simon and not thanking their team was a way of publicly shading their management.

Management control –

One Direction’s management team are the same company that contractually forced Ke$ha to keep working with her physically abusive manager, and the same company who forced members of Westlife to hide their sexuality and relationships for years and have fake girlfriends. On the cover of One Direction’s book “Who We Are” Louis scribbled out ‘Are’ and wrote ‘Could be’ and on another copy changed ‘Are’ to ‘Aren’t’. Louis’ close friend Calvin has liked tweets which slate Louis’ team for not being good to him or adequately promoting his single or generally doing their job correctly. In an interview Liam said there were no secrets in the band and Harry said “I have a secret.” When the band were asked what was the one thing they wanted that money couldn’t buy Harry said “Freedom.” Louis wore a tee shirt saying ‘Power’ ‘Lies’ and ‘Corruption’ at the America’s Got Talent rehearsals with Simon Cowell. When Harry was asked in May 2017 if there was any special memorabilia Simon Cowell had given him over the years he paused for a while and answered “Ummm…an anxiety...certificate.” The next time Harry did an interview he had to confirm that he was joking and actually thought Simon was wonderful. In Harry’s other 2017 interviewers he regularly confirmed that all members of One Direction still spend time together and support each other yet he has only mentioned Niall and Liam by name and personally discussed them, and has only ever referred to Louis as “Everyone”, suggesting that he is still not allowed to talk about Louis or even properly refer to him as a friend and bandmate.

Since leaving One Direction Zayn revealed that he and the band had to ask permission if they wanted to shave or change their haircut and in May 2017 Liam admitted they were not allowed to choose which songs they wanted as singles, saying he strongly requested one in particular but management “Just wouldn’t have it.” Liam’s debut single even has lyrics directly discussing how he didn’t feel free in One Direction. The number of times the word “Girl” appeared in 1D’s last album, which they wrote the majority of songs on, was only 3, compared to 32 on their first album, which they wrote the minority of. In the One Direction song You And I Harry sings “Nothing can come between you and I, not even the gods above” and on One Direction’s TV special Louis called their management the gods above. Most of the songs that Harry and Louis have written mention being under control, seeing the person they love being with someone else, being stopped from being with the person they love and fighting and hoping no matter what to be with that person, be themselves and be free. And both Harry and Louis have said they write from personal experience. When asked which song would be the soundtrack to his life Harry answered Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys – a song about a young couple fighting against people to try and be together.

There is evidence of Rolling Stone magazine misquoting and manipulating Harry’s 2017 interview to push his heteronormative, womaniser image. One Direction’s video producer Ben Winston spoke to the magazine suggesting that Harry regularly brought girls back to his house. This was however during the time that it was publicly known that Harry lived with Louis, so would therefore have no need to sleep at Ben’s house. A fan tweeted asking why he said Harry lived with him when everyone knew he lived with Louis and he replied “I didn’t. The article did.”

Soon after this article James Corden, who works with Ben, shared a video of Harry asking him if he could sleep at James and Ben’s studio. James agreed under the condition he had no house guests – obviously mocking the whole idea of Harry ever sleeping at Ben’s house or bringing people back there. The Rolling Stone article is especially untrustworthy bearing in mind that this is the same magazine that also tried to make Troye Sivan seem straight, a singer who is now openly gay.

The only time Louis has actually said Larry is not real was in a tweet saying “How about this, Larry is the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard. I’m happy why can’t you accept that.” There is also a tweet including the line “I am in fact straight.” Liam has actually admitted in an interview that management have access to their Twitter accounts. This is interesting in relation to these tweets but also to Louis personally signing his ‘Always in my heart’ tweet to Harry with his name, proving it was him that wrote it (unlike the absence of his signature for the bullshit and straight tweets). In the interview which followed the bullshit tweet Louis and Harry were happily and playfully sticking their tongues out to each other, clearly not worrying about fuelling Larry rumours. Also if Larry really was the biggest load of bullshit Louis had ever heard then why didn’t he ever outright say in any of the interviews that Larry is absolutely not real and never was, so that people could fully ‘Accept it’ and he could definitely prove that he was ‘In fact straight’ especially when there were ample opportunities for him to officially deny it in person?

Before an interview Harry asked Louis where he wanted to sit, Louis said “Next to you” then people from their management shouted “You can’t sit together.” The band were hugging at the end of a concert, Harry looked over to check their management’s reaction and someone signalled for him to give Louis a handshake instead of a hug. Harry went to get in the same car as Louis but a bodyguard physically blocked him and guided him into a separate car. When the Larry rumour was mentioned in an interview someone behind the scenes from management shouted “Not true!” In another interview the band were asked who had girlfriends or boyfriends, Harry said “Boyfriend. Louis’. Louis’ boyfriend.” After Liam said who had girlfriends Louis said “The rest of us have all got boyfriends” and Liam said “The rest of us are each other’s boyfriends.” Louis said “That’s going to have to be cut out now” and someone from their management said “It will.”

** Why would their management team spend seven years making such a huge deal of denying Larry rumours, keeping Louis and Harry apart so much, using promo for their songs to discuss women they have supposedly been with, giving them fake girlfriends and covering up when they spend time together if they didn’t have anything to hide? **

Louis’ supposed baby –

It is basically law for high profile celebrities in one night stand pregnancy dramas to get a maternity test but Louis has not had one. Louis and the band are always saying how Louis is the most family orientated person and Louis has said that he’d always wanted kids yet him and his family barely spend time with his baby. Louis looks overjoyed in photos with his siblings especially his young 2 year old twin siblings but he never looks happy with his own baby. Louis has said that children are close to his heart, is a very involved patron and very generous donator to several children’s charities and himself arranged a fairy tale ball for ill children, yet didn’t see ‘his own baby’ on its first Christmas and he went to a concert on the night of its first birthday.

Besides the fact that Louis only ever talks about his ‘son’ Freddie with next to no enthusiasm and a forced smile, whenever asked about his plans for the band’s hiatus not once did he ever mention the fact he would be spending it raising his new baby. Louis only talks about Freddie when asked and it is always a short one sentence answer. In an interview in 2017 Louis said that he never wakes up early and was struggling to get up that morning, which is probably not something that a new dad would say.

When asked what is favourite thing about being a father was Louis said “I know he’s not a dog but whenever he can do something new, it’s always exciting.” Fans spent all day joking about how ridiculous it was to compare his new born son to a dog, then the very next night Louis went out wearing a tee shirt with a dog on it. When asked about his own dog, Louis that said he liked the responsibility which came with having a dog yet he has never mentioned the responsibility of having an actual child. During a promotional interview for his new single Just Hold On with Steve Aoki, Louis was asked if having a child had inspired his song writing, he said “No, not really” then him and Steve went on to discuss how Just Hold On was their baby. Harry used the promo for his own single to describe how his music was his baby and that he felt like he was giving birth. He also discussed how people post pictures online of babies that are not theirs. One of Harry’s songs has the lyrics “She said I’m having your baby. It’s none of your business.” And then “In a black dress, she’s such an actress.” In the official photo of Brianna (baby Freddie’s mum) announcing her pregnancy she is wearing a black dress.

During the majority of Louis’ ‘dates’ over the years with both Eleanor and Danielle, and the majority of times that he is with Freddie, Louis’ friend Oli is there. It doesn’t seem natural for your friend to constantly be present during one on one father son time or romantic days out with your girlfriend. During the time Louis was being interviewed about his son he followed 2 celebrities who have had known paternity scandals and after Freddie was born Louis went to Sunglasses Hut, not only does it seem ridiculous to immediately buy some new sunglasses after the birth of your first child but Louis is a fan of the TV show Friends in which Joey says that if any girls come round saying they’re having his baby he’ll be hiding in Sunglasses Hut.

There are numerous inconsistencies and complications with the dates of Brianna’s pregnancy, the size of her bump, hospital release dates, lawsuits, the location of the baby’s family and even the baby’s mother, Brianna. For instance Brianna posted a ‘throwback’ photo of her 3 month baby bump but the photo shows her face with plastic surgery that she hadn’t had when she was supposedly 3 months pregnant. The family surrounding baby Freddie are using his name to gain profit from ownership of clothing brands and frequently ignore Louis’ privacy requests to not post photos or videos of Freddie, and they never blur out Freddie’s face from photographs in the newspaper. Louis, his family and Harry have blocked Brianna update/fan accounts on twitter and Instagram. Louis’ sister responded to a Instagram live story saying touch your cheek if Larry is real and touch your teeth if Freddie isn’t Louis’ by touching her cheek and touching her teeth. Brianna’s grandmother even liked a photo edit on Instagram of Louis wearing a jumper saying ‘You are not the father’ she has also liked Instagram comments saying ‘Louis likes dicks’ and ‘Louis likes Harry’s dick’ and she replied to a comment saying ‘Expose Brianna we know the truth’ with ‘The truth always exposes itself.’

When Niall’s single was released and when Louis’ mum passed away every member of One Direction tweeted them both immediately to send their love and show their support but no one in the band publicly congratulated Louis on his first born son, on Twitter or in interviews. (Harry was the only one not to tweet Louis about his mum but he was there with the other boys at Louis’ X-Factor performance for his mum.) One Direction’s video director Ben Winston (who as previously mentioned doesn’t even treat them that well) recently had a baby girl and the very next day Niall visited her – yet no members of One Direction have ever revealed meeting Louis’ son. Freddie is over one year old and there are still absolutely no photos of any of Louis’ friends with Freddie. Niall, who often hangs out with Louis and lives very close by and literally flew from LA to London and back again the same day just to support Louis during his X-Factor show, has literally said to an interviewer that he’s never met Freddie (yet he has now met Ben’s daughter twice.) Louis, and the rest of One Direction, frequently like and comment on photos that their friend’s post of their own children yet Louis has never liked any photos of his own baby and he doesn’t even follow Freddie’s mum Brianna on social media. However, Louis did follow a close friend of Brianna’s on Twitter, but only after she posted a video declaring that she no longer wants anything to do with Brianna or her family.

Louis supported the rapper Devlin on social media whose song Cold Blooded has the lyrics “TV just lies, they just manipulate the truth. So is it true XXXX fathered a baby? I don’t really think so, if you ask me he don’t like ladies. Could have been Harry, yeah, I bet it was Harry.“ Louis soon after liked a tweet saying “Louis, the king of music recommendations.” Harry followed Devlin on Instagram and Devlin has worked with Ed Sheeran for a long time, who is very close friends with Harry and Louis. Harry performed a cover of Kanye West’s song Ultralight Beam, this was a peculiar choice in relation to the more rocky style of Harry music but the song has the lyrics “I know that you’ll take good care of your child. When they come for you I will shield your name. I will field your questions. I will feel your pain. No one can judge, they don’t know.” Harry kicked Brianna out of the concert where he performed this song.

A fan threw a baby doll on stage at a One Direction gig, Liam laughed and carried it over to Louis, Louis said “It’s not real. It’s a fake baby” then threw it off stage. This was before the announcement of Louis’ baby yet him and Liam behaved as if they already knew about it, which would be impossible if it really was a one night stand and not a pre-planned cover story. Beyoncé, one of the most famous singers in the world, revealed she was 5 months pregnant with her long term and equally famous husband but the newspaper reported that Brianna, a completely unknown woman who had a one night stand, was pregnant after just 2 weeks. In March 2017 Louis became involved with a police case surrounding an invasive paparazzi and immediately hired a renowned top class lawyer, yet he never did that to try and fight for more overnight custody or visitation rights for his ‘son’. Surely a lawyer with such an important client would insist on them getting a DNA test before spending 18 years paying lots of child care.

** With this many ludicrous inconsistencies and suspicions around baby Freddie you have to ask if Louis’ isn’t the father then why on earth are the media and the management team trying so hard to make people believe he is? Maybe as a way to heavily deter gay rumours and heavily disprove the Larry conspiracy so that they can continue to earn multi-millions of profit. In the first year of One Direction being on hiatus their record label has made a loss of 11 million pound. Ruthless and greedy corporate business men like Simon Cowell don’t want a gay relationship between their most successful clients to ruin the straight boyband selling point and consequently risk them being able to continue increasing their fortune.**

The fact that Liam Payne, a member of the world’s biggest boy band attended an event as major and highly publicised as the 2017 Brit Awards in secret, (to suddenly interrupt and stop Simon Cowell accepting an award on 1D’s behalf) can arrive and leave completely unseen, and the fact that Niall Horan spent the early part of One Direction’s hiatus backpacking around Europe with his cousins, remaining completely unseen and undisturbed, and Harry and Louis themselves can frequently travel around the world completely unseen, yet Eleanor and Brianna who are not celebrities and would be totally unheard of without their connections to Louis, cannot seem to walk down the street or arrive at an airport without numerous paparazzi photographs being taken and subsequent articles being written. This does not seem organic or plausible. If paparazzi are arranged to photograph them then it is done to remind the public of their connection to Louis, as a tool to reinforce the ‘straight narrative.’

Furthermore, Louis’ family were able to hide the fact that his mum was losing a long battle with leukaemia, Niall has been able to hide all of his relationships, and Zayn was able to hide his severe anxiety and his eating disorder, so why isn’t Louis’ one-night-stand, distant farther, single mother, pregnancy scandal a secret? Because if the baby really was Louis’ then his team would surely be more sensitive about a potentially shameful and damaging situation, to protect his public image, instead of drag it through the media constantly and promote this constructed, irresponsible, laddie persona. And most of all, if Louis and Harry really wanted their relationship to be kept secret then why isn’t it? Because it’s not Harry and Louis that are choosing to keep it a secret.

Communication with fans –

Examples of Harry and Louis working out how to discreetly reassure fans about stunts and communicate that they are still together.

It is also worthy of mentioning how Harry has seemingly made more suggestively ‘gay’ and ‘larry’ comments than Louis. I think this may be due to me keeping an eye on Harry more so than Louis and potentially missing some things Louis has done, but mainly due to the fact that Louis was burdened with the responsibility of far more intense and lengthy stunts than Harry, and is seemingly under much more control than Harry (which he probably chose to take on as a way to shield Harry so that he didn’t have to) and is therefore more restricted in being able to be himself – yet he has learnt to communicate more discreetly…

Concerts signs –

Both Louis and Harry directly smile at, wave at, give thumbs up to and thank audience members who make rainbow or Larry related signs, Liam frequently reads out Larry related signs and when reading “My first real crush was Louis Tomlinson” Harry said “That was me” and Liam said “5 years and still going strong, woo!” (Larry had been together for around 5 years at this point.) Harry saw a ‘Love Wins’ sign and said ‘Always’ to the girl holding it. Louis corrected Harry when he accidentally misgendered a trans fan and made sure to check how they identified. Louis also corrected Harry when he asked a fan if the boy she was with was her boyfriend by telling him “You can’t just assume these things.” At a concert Liam and Louis were looking at a fan book and called Harry over to show him a Larry page which read “Open this part only if the statement is true – Larry is real” Liam signed his name beneath that statement. Harry wrapped himself in a flag with Louis’ ‘Always in my heart’ tweet printed on it. Louis signed a rainbow pride flag for a fan at a concert and grinned whilst he watched Harry running down stage billowing pride flags.

On the theme of rainbows, Harry has a rainbow mug in One Direction’s Drag Me Down music video, and he included a photo of a rainbow striped book titled ‘All you need is love’ in the photo book for his album. He tweeted “I study rainbows” then wore a rainbow wristband which a fan threw onstage that said ‘I study rainbows.’ Harry, his band members and his hair stylist repeatedly wore shoes with rainbows on them during his album promo, he’s Instagrammed rainbows and pride flags, shouted “Happy pride!” at a concert and has worn a pride flag badge and a custom made jacket with a rainbow on the back. Louis has worn three rainbow design tee shirts, one of which was the Apple symbol covered in rainbow print which he wore the day after the Apple CEO came out as gay. When asked if he welcomes LGBTQ fans to their gigs Louis said “Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s great” and he constantly says he loves *all* their fans. Steve Aoki wore rainbow patterned socks during an interview and Louis commented “Strong socks.”

Social media messages –

A few days or moments before pictures or articles surface of Louis with his ‘son’ Freddie or his ‘girlfriends’ Danielle or Eleanor or pictures are posted by Freddie’s mum Brianna or her family, Louis almost always posts a selfie on Instagram, never smiling. He only began posting photos like this since Freddie was born and they are only ever posted before paparazzi stunt photos appear. No selfies like that exist on his account pre-babygate or without some stunt news shortly following. Louis’ warning selfies since May 2017 have not only surfaced before sightings of him and Eleanor but have also correlated with announcements of Harry’s solo work. For instance, Louis posted a selfie on Instagram then Harry released his tour dates, Louis posted a photo on Instagram then Harry released a new song, Harry released his music video then 2 minutes later Louis liked a photo on Instagram, Louis followed a new account on Instagram shortly after Harry’s first gig finished and the fans were discussing it, Harry released a documentary about his album and shortly after Louis followed a new account on Instagram.

New photos of Harry were released then Louis followed Stella McCartney who has worked with Harry’s photographer. Louis’ friend Calvin commented on a live stream of Harry’s LA gig at 5AM UK time whilst Louis was active on social media at 5AM UK time, showing that they got up early to support Harry and be there with him the only way that they could. These numerous incidents suggest Louis is not only using social media to warn fans before stunts but also to join in with Harry’s events and discreetly show his support for Harry. Both Harry and Louis also follow Larry fan accounts on Twitter and after Louis followed someone new, that account immediately followed Harry and some Larry fan accounts. Someone tweeted “Unfollow me if you ship Larry” then Harry unfollowed her.

Harry’s aforementioned song Two Ghosts has the lyrics “Same eyes blue, same white shirt, couple more tattoos”, there are numerous fans who do not believe Harry and Louis are together but have still said that they strongly believe the song is about Louis – mainly due to these specific lyrics, the emotional intensity of the song and the performances of it, and the fact that none of his ‘girlfriends’ have tattoos. Shortly after the song was played to the public Louis posted a selfie on Instagram showing his blue eyes and wearing a white tee shirt (for the first time in a while) and swearing right to the front of the camera, directly showing his 28 tattoo. Not only does this further suggest that Two Ghosts is about him (and not Taylor Swift) but Louis also captioned the photo ‘Can’t sleep.’ The last time he posted a warning selfie captioned ‘Can’t sleep’ was the day before his ‘son’ was born. Fans wonder if this marked the beginning and the end of babygate. Louis then liked a photo on Instagram which read ‘Never again’ and ‘Expect the unexpected.’ Ultra music festival (where Louis performed) then tweeted a gif of Louis’ music video with the caption “Wonder what adventures await this weekend.” (Meaning 20th May 2017) This all hints toward the end of the baby stunt, or at least the beginning of the end.

For a while Harry did similar warnings by tweeting song lyrics before news stories came out and for a long time he mainly only posted black and white photos on Instagram but referenced rainbow colours in the captions or talked about scenic views that cannot be seen in the picture. Although it’s hard to be sure, a large majority of Harry’s tweets and photos suggest complex hidden meanings, often potentially relating to queer culture and speculating about some sort of countdown. Although many of Harry’s tweets seem obscure and random he has said in an interview that he doesn’t like tweeting something for the sake of it, therefore suggesting that his tweets do mean something and are posted for a purpose. He tweeted “I’m scared of the dark and the dentist” which are lines from a song which also have the lyrics “I know I’m not the only one who spent so long attempting to be someone else, well I’m over it. I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are. I can’t think straight, I’m so gay.” Not only is it obvious what that means but those lyrics are interestingly incredibly similar to lyrics Harry and Louis have written, such as “For so long I’ve been waiting to let go of myself” and “I don’t care what people say when we’re together.”

On the anniversary of Louis’ ‘Always in my heart’ tweet Harry posted a photo on Instagram of two men in blue and green floral shirts and captioned it “Strong.” Harry and Louis’ microphone colours are blue and green. Strong is the only One Direction song that Louis wrote on his own and has the lyrics “I'm not scared of love. Is it so wrong, that you make me strong?” In 2017 just before Eleanor became Louis’ fake girlfriend again, Louis tweeted the word ‘Always’ then immediately Instagrammed a black and white warning selfie (looking incredibly sad, with tears in his eyes) captioned ‘You’ – both posts paired together in the order which they were posted read ‘Always You.’ Before the Eleanor stunt happened the first time Louis posted the ‘Always in my heart, Harry’ tweet and when the stunt began again he said ‘Always you’ – this is Louis’ way to reassure Harry and the fans that for him it always has been Harry and always will be, no matter how it may seem.

In April 2017 Harry retweeted a tweet from a Larry twitter account with a then and now photo of Louis drinking a milkshake in front of a pink background. The tweet remained on his account for almost an hour before the link in the tweet got hacked and had to be deleted. People thought Harry’s accounted was hacked but the retweet was sent from an iPhone, which is impossible to hack. This all occurred during the promo of Harry’s single when more people than normal were checking his account. When Niall’s Instagram got hacked the hacker did it to generate attention to and promote themselves. When Liam’s Instagram got hacked there were hateful comments about his girlfriend, Cheryl. When One Direction’s hairdresser Lou Teasdale got hacked there were hateful comments about Louis. All of these incidents got corrected swiftly and Niall, Liam and Lou commented on them, apologising and explaining. If someone hacked Harry’s twitter they would promote themselves, say something negative about Harry or the band, dramatically expose Larry or do something really controversial, not retweet Louis drinking a milkshake. If this was a hack it would not have been left up for over 40 minutes. The fact that the tweet was deleted immediately after the link got hacked shows how possible it is to swiftly deal with a hack, and suggests that had it not been tampered with, the retweet would have remained. It is uncertain if Harry accidentally retweeted the photo and decided it was less suspicious to just leave it up or if it was purposefully made to seem like a mistake. Either way Harry nor his team did anything to acknowledge or explain this, however not long after the incident Harry was asked in an interview who manages his social media and he replied “I do” which basically confirms that he retweeted the photo of Louis. Sharing a photo of your friend and bandmate should not be a big deal, but bearing in mind that Harry and Louis have barely been allowed to publicly acknowledge each other for several years and rumours of their secret relationship are still rife, it is a big deal. At the time that the retweet was shared Louis came online to follow Lorde on Twitter, this not only made fans aware the Louis was online during this time (confirming he knew what was going on) but he followed an artist who had just performed their new single on Saturday Night Live – the week before Harry was due to perform his new single on Saturday Night Live, and Lorde’s single is titled ‘Green Light’ and green is Harry’s microphone colour.

Blue and green –

Louis’ microphone colour is blue, Harry’s is green. For years Harry has had a set of blue and green keys in the same shades as his and Louis’ microphone colours and he still has them now (2017). Both Harry and Louis often like photos on Instagram in an obviously blue and green colour palette. The majority of the light show for one of Louis and Steve’s performances of Just Hold On were blue and green. The lights at Harry’s gig were blue during his songs about Louis (Two Ghosts and Sweet Creature.) As mentioned Harry posted a photo of two men in green and blue shirts, one taller than the other (Harry is taller than Louis) and in Louis and Steve’s Just Hold On music video the main characters are a couple dressed in blue and green that could easily reflect Harry and Louis – the taller person has long hair and wears a silky green jacket and a fedora hat (like Harry) and the smaller person is wearing a sporty blue sweater and a cap (like Louis.) The couple are in a slight position of minority (a woman and a black man) they meet in London, travel the world together, listen to music, fall in love and get married. The producer of the video included blue and green heart emoji’s in the caption of the video still, then deleted them, and Steve used blue and green text colours in his snapchat of the video. In April 2017 Louis’ friend Calvin liked an Instagram comment saying ‘Everything blue and green.’

Fashion choices –

As well as Louis’ rose, ‘Lies and corruption’ and rainbow shirts he also has a ‘Queen surf’ tee shirt, which is a gay beach, and Harry as also worn the same shirt. Louis has a tee shirt saying ‘Homemade’ which may reference his chicken and homemade mash potatoes meal (and Harry has the word ‘Homemade’ tattooed) and when Harry was spotted in Selfridges, the next day Louis was wearing a tee shirt from Selfridges. Louis was photographed leaving a vintage shop (with Eleanor) then weeks later Harry was photographed wearing a top from that same vintage shop.

In the early days Harry proudly wore a Harry <3 Louis tee shirt that a fan gave him. Harry and Louis have been photographed with matching blankets, Harry has a pink version and Louis has blue and they have shared several clothes numerous times, including Louis wearing the top and Harry wearing the trousers from a joint runway outfit at least twice. As well as Louis using the promo interviews for his and Steve Aoki’s single to proudly wear the rose tee shirt, he also wore a top with a triangle on and a colourful Elton John tee shirt – another gay music icon, who Harry mentioned during his own promo interviews. Louis also has a sweater saying ‘All out’ which is an LGBT awareness and support campaign group. The media used the fact that Louis and Eleanor were seen wearing similar Titanic hoodies to begin coverage of them ‘getting back together’ in 2017, Titanic is however a ship that sank and Louis’ version of the hoody had a gravestone on it. Days later Steve decided to wear his own similar Titanic hoody, to mock the falseness of the situation and attempt to shut down Eleanor rumours. Louis also said during an interview that if Steve teamed his long hair with a British accent he’d “Be winning” – Harry has long hair and a British accent.

On two separate occasions Louis has worn shirts that fans have been asking him to buy. One shirt is in reference to the love bites he’s admitted giving Harry and has an image of a mouth with fangs dripping blood. Fans tweeted Harry asking him to buy it for Louis then Louis wore it for their 2015 album photoshoot, the jacket Louis wore the tee shirt with also had a pocket hanky in the same pattern and colour as the shirt that Harry was wearing. Fans have been speculating about Louis or Harry getting a lighthouse tattoo to complement their other nautical tattoos, instead Louis wore a lighthouse tee shirt on stage with the word ‘Yes’ written over it. This shirt was custom made. Both Harry and Louis have spent the mid 2017 promo photoshoots and TV appearances for their new singles, wearing outfits gradually depicting each individual colour of the rainbow one by one.

In the majority of paparazzi photos of Harry in 2016 and 2017 he is wearing the same ‘Randy’s Donuts’ hoody. For a millionaire fashion icon with thousands of designer outfits who largely knows when he is going to be photographed, this seems quite odd, however, Randy’s Donuts is right next to a restaurant called Louis’ and is actually owned by a man named Larry. Frequently making sure he is seen wearing this same hoody of a building beside Louis’ is probably Harry’s way of making sure that fans know that he is beside Louis. After weeks of silence from Louis he posted a warning selfie on Instagram, on the 28th, of him wearing a hoodie with French writing on, the day after Harry arrived back in London from France.

Bee symbolism -

Fans noticed how Louis’ frequent and unenthused use of the word “Buzzing” to describe his feelings on the arrival of his ‘son’ seemed like an odd choice of words, since then they have consequently predicted that a bee might symbolise the ending of ‘babygate’ and have planned to get bee tattoos when it is over. Harry got a new tattoo but hid it from cameras for months then after the deceiving Rolling Stone interview he revealed that the tattoo is of a big queen bee. Steve Aoki described the One Direction and Louis Tomlinson fans as an army of bees. Harry is a big fan of puns and has many pun tattoos, for instance, a heart on his sleeve, a cage on his ribs, a butterfly on his tummy, a thigh-ger (tiger on his thigh), and the word big on his big toe, therefore fans wonder if the bee tattoo on his arm could reference Louis’ army of bees.

The day Louis posted his Comme Des Garcons selfie he also posed for fan photos whilst wearing Gucci trainers with a bee on. Louis’ ‘girlfriend’ Eleanor was photographed in the same Gucci trainers and Liam was also photographed in the bee trainers. Harry, his hairdresser and all of his band members have worn Gucci shoes with a rainbow on the front and a bee on the back, for many of their public appearances. Louis’ sister posted a photo of his younger sister with a bee dummy pacifier in her mouth. Harry has been seen twice wearing a yellow Gucci jumper with a black stripe and he performed Sweet Creature (the song about Louis) whilst wearing yellow trousers with a black stripe down the side.

Louis posted a photo on Instagram of him wearing yellow and black trainers and he was seen wearing a Gucci sweater with a bee on with the phrase “Blind for love” written in French. James Corden, a close friend of Louis and Harry’s was photographed wearing bee print shoes and a jacket with a bee on. So basically, Louis, Harry and everyone close to them were suddenly all wearing bees at the same time when they never had done before. Louis liked a photo of yellow and black striped baby shoes on Instagram, the time he liked this photo was around the same time that a photo of his own baby was posted but he didn’t like that. Louis tweeted that he hoped everyone was having a good day, last time he posted a tweet saying that was a week before him and his fake girlfriend Danielle broke up. Fans believe that the many references to the bee are ways to hint the ending of ‘babygate’.

Rainbow bears – RBB stands for Rainbow Bondage Bear and SBB stands for Sugar Baby Bear. These are two rainbow cuddly toy bears which have appeared at One Direction concerts and on an official RBB and SBB twitter account which posted photos of the bears in various locations with various props.

The locations of the photos were always in the same place as Harry or Louis. The bears were photographed in Newcastle United football strips in the grounds of St James’ park on the day One Direction performed in Newcastle. The décor of Louis’ house matches the décor of the house in photos of RBB and SBB. When an interviewer used a potato to mock One Direction fans the RBB twitter posted photos of the bears holding potatoes and a note in Harry’s handwriting. When Louis’ *girlfriend* of the time, Danielle, posted a promotion photo of her with a packet of Fit tea Louis’ sister tweeted “I won’t be drinking Fit tea and I suggest you don’t either” and the RBB twitter posted a photo of the bears on the toilet reading a book about curing diarrhoea. The rainbow bears were often surrounded by framed photos of historical gay icons and drag queens and even people called Larry. There is a photo of the bears on the part of the Hollywood walk of fame that was closed off for the day for One Direction. The photo shows the bears sitting by the Judy Garland Hollywood star, and there is another photo of them reading a Judy Garland book, and the RBB Twitter page once had Judy Garland as their header image – Judy Garland has songs called “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Skip To My Lou.”

You can see Louis in the reflection of the bear’s sunglasses and since then the sunglasses were always blurred out. The RBB twitter account changed its icon to a birthday cake on Louis’ birthday. One of the rainbow bears was seen in Harry’s bag. Harry dressed similarly to RBB in one of the images in his Another Man magazine photoshoot wearing a rainbow coloured fluffy jumper and a bondage type leather neck choker. He was also seen in a fluffy fur coat in 2016. There is a photo of RBB outside a pub called The Bear’s Head Inn, this pub is in Harry’s hometown of Holmes Chapel and Harry was spotted at the pub Christmas 2016. The day Harry revealed his bee tattoo he was basically dressed identically to RBB, a similar black hat, black shirt open over a light tee shirt, black jeans, black sunglasses and a rainbow flag badge. Harry has a new tattoo of the letter R next his new tattoo of a bee, possibly to spell RB.

Louis arrived home in the UK and the next day RBB and SBB were on stage at a Little Mix concert in Leeds, on the anniversary of Louis and Harry going to Leeds Festival together. Days later Perrie from Little Mix liked Louis’ photo with his siblings on Instagram and Louis went to go see Little Mix on that tour. One of the bears was wearing army camouflage trousers, Harry’s acting role as a soldier in the war movie Dunkirk had been announced around this time. At the Little Mix gig the rainbow bears had blue and green smiley face stickers on their paws and Little Mix had a green and blue light show during Secret Love Song – a song they have described as potentially being about people in a secret gay relationship and a song they performed in tribute to the Orlando shootings whilst holding a pride flag. Little Mix tweeted about Secret Love Song using blue and green heart emojis.

It’s also worth mentioning that Perrie from Little Mix and Zayn from One Direction were engaged and the two bands are on the same record label, are always very supportive of each other and spend time together, so are clearly very close. At the Little Mix concert the bears were holding a baby bottle and also wearing a red sticker. Liam’s microphone colour is red. This might suggest speculation about Liam’s supposed baby with Cheryl, especially because there are fans who strongly believe that Liam is in a secret relationship with Zayn, and the fact that Liam and Cheryl’s son is actually called Bear. The Little Mix concert was a while before Cheryl’s pregnancy rumours but if Louis and Harry knew about it beforehand and tried to warn fans this may suggest another babygate type stunt? Things are uncertain about Liam because his relationship with Cheryl and their baby has seemed more organic so far but many fans do not believe it and perhaps their team have learnt to stunt better, or maybe RBB’s red sticker was simply Louis warning fans about babies in general and could just serve as more proof of Freddie not being Louis’ son?

One of the first and only times in months that Harry had smiled in a fan photo was with people in a recruitment centre, a year ago that same day RBB’s Twitter posted a photo of the bear in front of a job centre and Liam tweeted “Off to the job centre, wish me luck”. This was 14th December 2016, the date fans speculated about One Direction’s management contract ending. Harry, Louis and RBB have all worn the same unique pair of sunglasses. When the band were once asked about the rainbow bears, everyone fell silent and really obviously immediately stared directly at Louis who smirked and stayed quiet. The RBB Twitter account vanished yet their Twitter handle is still being held so that no other account can have that same name. The rainbow bears once appeared with a phone which fans could ring, and that number is still in use because it goes to voicemail. The bear’s twitter account only liked one tweet, and it said “Larry OK.”

Just to briefly summarise –

Neither Harry nor Louis have officially denied they are together.

Louis is the only person Harry has ever confirmed to be dating.

Louis said he’s gay.

Harry said gender isn’t important to him in a relationship and that he doesn’t label his sexuality.

Louis and Harry’s friends and families publicly support their relationship and shame their fake girlfriends.

Harry and Louis sing directly to each other on stage and write love songs together and for each other.

The most romantic things they’ve ever done for someone were for each other.

They have numerous complimentary couple tattoos.

They both signal a heart shape for each other to the sound technicians.

They constantly touch and make sexual innuendos, have held hands, agreed to oral sex, sat on each other’s knees, slept in the same bed and given each other love bites and kisses.

They live(d) together and are constantly seen in the same locations at the same times.

There is strong evidence of a secret wedding or engagement.

Their management has access to their Twitter accounts and has a history of controlling their artists and closeting them with fake girlfriends.

No members of One Direction have publicly celebrated or met Louis’ ‘son’, Louis didn’t see him at Christmas, the baby’s grandmother has frequently implied Louis isn’t the father and Louis hasn’t had a DNA test.

Louis posts a warning selfie before stunt photos and articles are published.

Harry and Louis use rainbow teddy bears, among many other things, to communicate with fans and reassure them that they are still together and ok.

Conclusion:

Harry and Louis, and the rest of One Direction, take every opportunity to express their sincere gratitude and love for their fans - in interviews, at events and concerts, when meeting them and on social media, and they always stick up for them if they’re being mocked by the media.

In an interview for his single Louis discussed how the fans observe everything that he and the band do online and that they can always piece together exactly what their interactions mean. Louis publicly confirmed, with a proud grin, that he knows fans see everything he does and that they can understand what it all means, and Harry often discusses how much he encourages and loves the fans to interpret things in their own way.

This therefore means that there is no way, considering their respect for the fans, considering how specific and frequent their Larry related messages to the fans are, considering how much specific evidence proves Harry and Louis are directly behind these messages, and how much specific evidence there is for Harry and Louis being together in the first place - the notion that they would frequently go to this much effort, over the course of seven years, to send fans strong signals of Larry being real and happy, if they were just teasing fans, or if Larry was not real, is ridiculous and completely futile and basically impossible.

There would not be this much drama unless there was something to hide and Larry would not go to this much effort to tell fans they were together if they were not together.

Most of all, it is incredibly unlikely, maybe even impossible, to be able to write an 18000+ word essay of strong evidence for something that is not real.

Just look at how much evidence there is.

There are obviously so many things ‘behind the scenes’ that we, the public, do not know about, but the fact that there is this much proof for Louis and Harry’s relationship and the extreme efforts gone to cover it up is incredibly telling. The fact that it is possible to generate this much evidence without being directly involved or knowing even half of what is actually going on is something in itself. In actuality we, as outsiders and onlookers, barely know anything, but despite so much being hidden from us and unknown to us, we still have THIS much evidence.

Taking all of these examples into consideration – what on earth could it all mean other Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson being in love?

Is it really that hard to believe?

RECOMMENDED REFERENCES –

* The absolute ultimate no.1 perfect guide to Larry proof (including part 2 and 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGQZk9F6Dxs - mostly moments from early on but bearing in mind Harry basically came out in every 2015 interview, RBB appeared in 2016, the RBB twitter handle is still being held, Harry and Louis wrote a love song together, still stare at each other, sing to each other and are in the same locations as each other and warn fans about stunts, we know they are still happily together now.

* This entire video is great and has a lot of recent proof but in particular 4.09 is a really amazing proof. (All of the other crack videos and basically every video from freddieismyqueen are incredible and really really funny) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbb-XtcMNVM

* There are lots of videos of Louis and Harry mirroring each other’s actions at the same time and its veryyyyyy interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X78oc-PMTw

* Harry and Louis with rainbows (very beautiful) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Z7_Q4Wk4I

Harry’s tattoos and possible meanings http://www.latinpost.com/articles/6333/20140124/harry-styles-tattoo-meanings-see-one-direction-singers-tattoos-significance.htm

Theories about the meaning of Harry’s black and white Instagram posts http://harrystylestheraconteur.tumblr.com/post/107920654286/a-revolution-in-the-budding-with-harry-styles-as

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