How Did I Get Here? Fic Fest

A fic fest inspired by Louis Tomlinson's third album, How Did I Get Here?

[howdidigethereficfest]

How Did I Get Here? Fic Fest Masterpost

24 fics inspired by Louis Tomlinson's third album, How Did I Get Here? Thank you to all the writers and to @4izhalo for creating fic covers for each of these fics that you can find here!

Lemonade

Bright Yellow Spaceship (Might Make Me Start To Believe) by ships_bravery / @larentslovechaos [Fic post]

On Fire

Now I’m A Wasteland by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28 [Fic post]

Sunflowers

won't you take me by @disgruntledkittenface [Fic post]

Lazy

Lazy by harryanthus_annuus / @harryanthus-annuus [Fic post]

Palaces

You Pull Me In Completely by juniperlightning / @juniperlightningwrites [Fic post] stay for the night (in the palaces in my mind) by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed [Fic post]

Last Night

Another Second Closer to You by @jooles999 [Fic post]

Conversations In Bus Back Seats by @homosociallyyours [Fic post]

Broken Bones

Running Through the Flames by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf [Fic post]

Dark To Light

Don't Go Anywhere I Can't Follow by @allwaswell16 [Fic post]

Imposter

Paper Thin Walls by SullenFairy [Fic post]

Stranger in My Bed by croisblue / @forwhatiam [Fic post]

Sanity

It’s only me and nobody (I know you’re mad at me) by StormyDrama28 / @stormy-28 [Fic post]

Jump The Gun

Don't Jump the Gun by @allwaswell16 [Fic post]

Lucid

Dream Awake by @haztobegood [Fic post]

The Observer

Inside My Naked Eye by @allwaswell16 [Fic post]

The Answer

Wish Answered by @haztobegood [Fic post]

All These Skies

Fall Inside a Painted Sky by @allwaswell16 [Fic post]

Sleepwalking

Don't Walk Alone by @haztobegood [Fic post]

Looks Like Lucy

Crimson in My Head by @allwaswell16 [Fic post]

Save Me Time

between now and then by prone_to_overthinking / @loud-as-lions [Fic post]

Send Me Under

Send Me Under by larry_hiatus / @emilarry [Fic post]

Side By Side

i'll hold on a little tighter by 4ureyesonly28 / @evilovesyou [Fic post]

The Spark

Protecting The Spark by BeamyK112 [Fic post]

[juniperlightningwrites]

My contribution for the @howdidigethereficfest will be out today! Inspired by the song, Palaces.

You Pull Me In Completely

Exes to Lovers | 9.3k | Explicit

When their relationship fell apart 7 years ago, Louis never expected to see Harry again. He certainly didn't expect to find himself hired to perform as a stripper for Harry's birthday.

[so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed]

stay for the night (in the palaces of my mind)

[Larry, 8.5k]

“Hello?”

It's tentative, the voice. Louis keeps his eyes firmly closed. This isn't real, he tells himself. This isn't happening. He’d been so careful.

Zayn was going to kill him. Fuck. He’d known better than to go out for a supply run on his own. But Susie had been sick and he hadn’t wanted to take Mike with him when he was so worried about his little sister. She was only eleven years old, it wasn’t like she could stay on her own.

He knows the rules. He knows that agreement that he’s made with Zayn. If I ever come back different-

He scrunches his eyes shut even tighter, as though that can keep the horrible truth at bay. He doesn’t have to be different, he tells himself. He can just ignore-

“Hello?”

Shut up, he thinks. This isn’t real. You’re not real. This isn’t happening.

“I’m sorry you feel that way,” the voice in his head whispers.

Written for the @howdidigethereficfest for the song 'Palaces'.

[jooles999]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83785876

"Just fuck off Louis” he squirmed at the mention of his name, yet Harry continued abject fury now etched on his face “You’re acting like it was all one sided but you forget that I was actually there and I had the marks and bruises for weeks after. You can pretend you faked it or didn’t enjoy it all you like, but no-one comes three fucking times whilst moaning and whimpering like that unless they are into it MATE!”

“Yeah well what can I say - any hole will do!” Louis’s eyes betrayed him staying focused on the road ahead refusing to look in the rear view mirror, his knuckles now white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. He couldn’t back down now, not when Harry was being so vicious.

or

Harry and Louis are both Police Officers who despise each other after sleeping together months ago. Every interaction is a competition of escalating hate filled insults until one night when they end up handcuffed together abandoned in a deserted warehouse with no means of escape. Finally forced to face the truth of why things went so badly wrong and if can they reconcile on what might be the last night of their lives.

@howdidigethereficfest @valeries-creations

[louandhazaf]

Running Through The Flames

Louis/Harry | 3k | part of the “Swallow My Words” series

Louis and Harry broke up fifteen years ago. Louis sees him again in the most unexpected place.

Written for @howdidigethereficfest for "Broken Bones"

(as always, I don’t think you need to have read anything else in this series to understand what’s happening!)

[allwaswell16]

Don't Go Anywhere I Can't Follow

by @allwaswell16

Two timestamps for the Limerence verse and inspired by the song Dark To Light Dark: When Louis visited Liam in the hospital, he had a request that Louis couldn't refuse. Light: Fate brought two soulmates together as they traveled across Europe. Now, Harry and Louis were ready to celebrate their love with a garden wedding.

Written for @howdidigethereficfest | 2k

[howdidigethereficfest]

Paper Thin Walls by SullenFairy

Louis peers down at his watch. From his calculations, he has about 10 minutes left of this interview. That’s 10 minutes to recite his prepared story. Stay on script, get the promo, keep everyone happy—if only he could remember the reporter's name. He smirks. He’s managed worse. Written for the song Imposter and @howdidigethereficfest

Louis/Harry | Canon | Teen & Up | 3k

[stormy-28]

It’s only me and nobody (I know you’re mad at me) 🌀 || 3.4K

For the @howdidigethereficfest

｡𖦹 ⋆° ꩜ .ᐟ

Fuuuuuck… Let me die. I need a cuddle.

Blindly, he flings his arm to the other side of the bed. Empty. And cold. Louis winces and opens his eyes in a jolt.

Harry? Where is he?

Or

Louis wakes up hungover and alone

｡𖦹 ⋆° ꩜ .ᐟ

[haztobegood]

Dream Awake by haztobegood

Rating: T Words: 828 Summary: Still not a lucid dream… How long will I have to keep writing these before it finally happens?

An Excerpt from Louis' Dream Journal

Written for @howdidigethereficfest and inspired by Lucid.

[haztobegood]

Don't Walk Alone by haztobegood

Pairing: Harry/Louis Rating: G Words: 1.2k Summary: Harry can't sleep. She follows Louis.

Inspired by Sleepwalking and written for @howdidigethereficfest

[allwaswell16]

Crimson in My Head

by @allwaswell16 for @howdidigethereficfest

As it stood, Louis generally avoided being alone with Harry. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy being around him. That wasn’t it at all. In fact, it was more like the opposite. He enjoyed it a little too much than was healthy for their friendship. So he’d spent the better part of three years keeping Harry at arm’s length. When their friends decided to get off campus apartments sophomore year, he’d made sure to attach himself to Liam, leaving Zayn and Harry to get a place with Niall. If they had a study session at the library, he made sure Harry wasn’t the only one going. If they went bowling or to the movies or out to a bar, he made sure there was at least one other person as a buffer between him and Harry. And so far, it had all worked perfectly. For the most part. With maybe some minor bumps in the road. Or A friends to lovers story featuring spring break, tiny red shorts, an interfering friend, and a pair of lace panties. Inspired by the song Looks Like Lucy.

explicit | 4k

[howdidigethereficfest]

between now and then 

by prone_to_overthinking / @loud-as-lions

A series of conversations, and eventually, a decision. An exploration of conversations had between Harry and Louis about their situation over the years, leading up to Louis' decision to come out. Written for the song Save Me Time

Louis/Harry | Canon | Teen & Up | 2k

[emilarry]

Send Me Under

26.1K ~ Explicit

Written for @howdidigethereficfest based on Send Me Under by Louis Tomlinson

Nothing is going right in Louis’ life lately. Between his bosses constantly putting him through the shredder, and his relationship being on life support, Louis is in desperate need for the one thing he never allows himself to have. He hasn’t seen Harry in months, but for the right price, Harry can help Louis let go and get him where he needs to be.

Read it on AO3!

[evilovesyou]

i'll hold on a little tighter by 4ureyesonly28

1.1k words | @howdidigethereficfest for the song Side By Side

Better. Older. Wiser. Snapshots of Louis' thoughts during the first day of tour.

[howdidigethereficfest]

Protecting The Spark by BeamyK112

Louis feels the familiar queasy feeling these meetings always leave in the pit of his stomach. "Engagement," he mutters with a thinly veiled hint of bitterness, the word leaving a vile taste in his mouth. "We're talking about a low-brow awards banquet, Sadie. We've been doing this for half our lives at this point. Surely this vacuum is a bit worn out by now." "On the contrary, Louis," she counters, looking directly at him. "The vacuum, as you call it, is your most valuable asset. This iced out, no contact narrative, it's what keeps the fans dissecting every lyric, every interview, and keeps you both trending on socials. Frankly, it sells. Tickets, magazines and merch, it all skyrockets when we build it up. We need to lean into the illusion of distance. We want frosty looks and cold shoulders. If the press asks about the other, the answer is a polite, empty pivot. You aren't friends, aren't enemies. You're simply… nothing. Just two individuals existing in the same industry on completely independent trajectories, no reason for your worlds to overlap." Written for the song The Spark and @howdidigethereficfest

Louis/Harry | Canon | G | 7k

[allwaswell16]

 Fall Inside a Painted Sky 

by @allwaswell16 for @howdidigethereficfest

Maybe if he was braver, he would have been a surfer, too. Inspired by All These Skies

Louis/Harry | Beach | NR | 100 words

[haztobegood]

Wish Answered by haztobegood

Pairing: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson Rating: G Words: 1k Summary: Someday when the time is right, they will really wish hard for a baby of their own. Ever since he was young, he'd dreamed of performing. He’s worked hard to get this far in his career, and he loves touring, being on stage, meeting fans. But what if all his success unknowingly came at the loss of his other dreams? He’s spent many nights lying awake with these questions he’s asked himself a thousand times. It doesn't matter. He knows the answer. The timing is never right. As much as Louis wants it, their wishes never align.

Written for @howdidigethereficfest and inspired by lyrics from The Answer.