Ok, I Know You Probably Have This Asked Of You A Lot But One Thing That Always Stays On My Mind After

Ok, I know you probably have this asked of you a lot but one thing that always stays on my mind after each re read of TTS is how H introduces L to his public life. I’ve sat there wondering so many times (especially after reading your extra writings) how, when, where it would play out and whilst imagining scenarios is entertaining I’ve always wanted to know how you picture them first appearing before the world?

oooohhh. that’s a really interesting question. and not one i think i’ve answered before? nor something i’ve thought about particularly.... when i think about them it’s always either before or after their relationship is announced to the world. that transition is not something i’ve clearly envisioned, either as i was writing, or even after when thinking about their shared future. but i can give it a go now! 

as always, these are just my today ramblings and aren’t meant to be official canon thoughts and if i write something here that contradicts something i’ve talked about before in relation to their future then oops. i don’t have all the asks i’ve ever answered about tts memorised hehe. so yeah, very much just a little thinking out loud type of exercise....

so my initial instinct is to think that it would take a while for harry to open up to the world about louis and their relationship. a lot of harry’s inner conflict in tts is this desire to be open about who he is and to have the things that he shares with his fans/the world be authentic but at the same time, he’s also struggling with this undeniable desire for privacy and to no longer be in this aquarium environment, glass walls everywhere, eyes everywhere, etc... so i think it would take him a little while to find the balance between those conflicting ideas within himself. and to decide how he wants to approach a public relationship that is real for the first time. 

i def. think that he would come out, without mentioning his relationship or introducing louis to the world, first. just as a step for himself. i actually think he probably does it right after the fic ends, somewhere in his new album promo cycle. i envision it as maybe he does like... one in-depth interview to promote the album and a few performances and that’s it, yk? something really lowkey. since he’s asked to be able to do this on a smaller scale for his mental health. and yeah, i think he would be as candid as possible in that one interview, talking both about his sexuality and his struggles with substance abuse, but since the relationship with louis is still very fresh, i don’t think he would touch on that yet. 

i do think he would talk about going somewhere isolated (without saying where) and meeting a really important friend whose support was crucial to him figuring out he still wants to be in the industry. so he would mention louis in a roundabout way but without saying anything re: the true nature of their relationship. of course, a lot of the album is filled with love songs so i think that would potentially invite some speculation and assumptions.

somewhere between the whirlwind of his new album and his new tour, they’d meet each other’s family and the relationship would get more and more serious. and harry would officially ‘move in’ the lighthouse when it’s the offseason and he’s not working. 

there’s a part of me that’s like... maybe they don’t tell anybody until like.... years later and they’re married and everything. like... not necessarily a ‘secret relationship’ but a super lowkey one. like.. harry doesn’t post about louis on social media or talk about him in interviews or anything like that. maybe it’s just known and understood that he’s in a committed relationship with someone not in the industry and that’s that. but that’s a bit boring. actually, the best way this would work is if it’s revealed super dramatically at an award show. like maybe louis sits with harry & his team at the grammys and no one knows who he is until harry wins and kisses him in front of everybody before thanking his husband in his speech and everyone is like /????????? SINCE WHEN ???????? and then there is an EXPLOSION of interest re: the b&b and their social media accounts, which louis runs half reluctantly with inputs from h & his sisters. unfortunately for him there ARE pictures of him on the website and IG so everyone pieces it together like little sherlock holmes and they all realise that’s the place harry went to find himself again and he found love there too. 

they’re booked for a solid year after that which louis HATES because he knows it’s just people wanting to meet harry and he doesn’t want his privacy and safety compromised. harry lowkey thinks it’s kind of hilarious because while YES he values his privacy more than anything, he does thrive on chaos. part of me thinks he’d schedule a mini-tour for their busiest season JUST to be a nuisance, but he’d never leave louis to deal with the extra work and the fallout alone. 

if we don’t go the dramatic route, then i’d think it would be super super lowkey. once he’s ready, h starts mentioning his partner in interviews and maybe sometimes louis shows up on harry’s ig and vice versa without it ever being a really big deal or an announcement or anything yk? just them living their lives and sharing what they’re comfortable with when they’re comfortable. 

i don’t know if that’s what you wanted/pictured, but that’s where i’m at today re: tts!hl and their public relationship <3