#side ot5

I’ve rec’d nearly all of these fics but I just wanted to put them together into one rec. More will be added as time goes on of course :) 

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Untangle Me by suicxne {explicit, 103k, 11 chapters, MITAM era, friends to lovers, angst, fluff, domestic fluff, pining, first time, smut}

Louis finds himself out of place in LA, unable to get at an itch that’s been bothering him for years. He supposes back in the early days, home hadn’t been a place. It’d been a person. He’d etched it permanently into his skin for fucks sake. It was always him and Harry. Stuck to each other like super glue. Pulled together by some magnetic force, existing in their own bubble. Everyone could see it, but that was half the problem, wasn’t it?

It’s not like Louis can pinpoint the exact moment in time when him and Harry fell out of sync. There wasn’t really one at all. It had been a gradual slip, like the tide wearing away at a sandstone cliff. Chipping the solid foundations until there was nothing left to stop the structure falling to the waves below. It’s not like he spends all of his time sitting around moping over a lost friendship, he’s good at distractions. But LA only seems to accentuate the distance between them. Two separate planets, not even in the same solar system.

Or the one where Harry and Louis finally get it right.

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It Goes, It’s Golden by lucythegoosey {explicit, 150k, 14 chapters, MITAM era, OTRA era, alternating POV, flashbacks, slow burn, fluff, angst, smut, coming out, first time}

The chaos Zayn left in his wake wouldn't feel so disastrous if Harry had Louis. But everything between them crashed and burned a long time ago. All Harry is left with is a hopeless longing and a fear that the band's current disarray will set in for good.

... And then he finds himself stuck on a sixteen hour plane trip with Louis Tomlinson. This could either be the most awkward flight of Harry's life, or the beginning of an atonement he's been dreaming of since 2013.

Canon Compliant AU in which Harry and Louis broke under the strain of it all and now, years on, there's a chance to put all the pieces back together. Set in early April 2015 all the way through to October. Written in Harry and Louis' perspectives, alternating every chapter.

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And Then a Bit by infinitelymint {explicit, 158k, 14 chapters, fake relationship, friends to lovers, smut, fluff, pining, angst}

“We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

Or, take a parallel universe where Louis and Harry were never together, mix in a two year hiatus and an impending comeback, pour in a dash of lost fans, two tablespoons of strong friendship and a Modest! employee with a good idea. Add a squeeze of pretending to be a couple, lots of kisses and a tattoo or two. Stir. Serve: the mother of all publicity stunts.

(aka Harry and Louis fake a relationship for publicity. Eventually it becomes a lot less fake and a lot more real.)

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Photograph by orphan_account (s) ------- PDF {mature, 207k, canon compliant, canon divergent, ot5 friendship + involvement, side ziam, angst, slow burn}

Harry steadies his jaw. “What do you want from me?” Louis’ bottom lip wobbles. “I’m not gay.” “Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?” And at that, Louis seems to completely lose his shit. He rushes towards Harry, banging his fists on Harry’s collarbones in a frenzy, and begins yelling-- “I hate you! I hate you! I fucking hate you so much!” Tears are rushing down his cheeks, and then he’s shoving Harry away, drunk out of his ass, causing Harry to stumble back a bit. Louis then begins to clutch at himself, fisting his own clothes to his chest, dribble falling from his mouth, his arms shaky and his back hunched. “Fuckfuckfuckufkcufkc!” He spits, face contorted, hands trembling. “I hate you!” “No, you don’t.” Harry steps forward, face concerned. “You don’t hate me.” - An epic love story in which Harry is too in love for his own good, Louis is in denial of his sexuality, and they write songs instead of actually talking to each other.

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*also lowkey hate to love but oh well* 

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The Melody You Never Heard by bananasandboots {explicit, 30k, enemies to lovers, smut, slow burn, OT4 friendship, uni friends AU}

It's one last adventure. One last chance to be young and carefree. One final weekend before they take up their internships, their corporate positions, before they enter the real world, fresh out of university. Niall's his best mate. Liam's been there for him since they were lost, little freshmen, trying to find their ways through an overwhelming first year. Harry can't disappoint them, even if it means enduring four days with Louis.

Louis, who he does share a history with, a history he's never told anyone about, not even Niall, a history he hasn't brought up in three years because it's stupid and embarrassing and confusing.

Or, the one where Harry gets roped into a four-day camping trip with the boy who kissed him and never called back.

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Playing To Win by jacaranda_bloom {explicit, 36k, big brother AU, secret relationship, sharing a bed, cuddling, smut, angst}

Big Brother UK alumni Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are selected for the UK vs Australia All Stars series with a massive one million dollar prize in the offing. They’re both fit and smart and would make a great alliance... if only they can stop their feelings from getting in the way.

OR the one where Louis really doesn’t want to like Harry, Harry is struggling to quell his growing fondness for Louis, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t fight fate.

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Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can’t Lose by dolce_piccante {mature, 112k, 6 chapters, smut, fluff, angst, pining, hurt/comfort, American Uni AU, OT5 involvement + friendship}

American Uni AU. Harry Styles is a frat boy football star from the wealthy Styles Family athletic dynasty. A celebrity among football fans, he knows how to play, he knows how to party, and he knows how to fuck (all of which is well known among his legion of admirers).

Louis Tomlinson is a student and an athlete, but his similarities to Harry end there. Intelligent, focused, independent, and completely uninterested in Harry’s charms, Louis is an anomaly in a world ruled by football.

A bet about the pair, who might be more similar than they originally thought, brings them together. Shakespeare, ballet, Disney, football, library chats, running, accidental spooning, Daredevil and Domino’s Pizza all blend into one big friendship Frappucino, but who will win in the end?

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Baby Heaven’s in your Eyes by theboyfriendstagram {explicit, 120k, 24 chapters, highershool AU, punk!Harry, rich!Louis, hate to love, partying, homophobia, awakening, side ziam, smut, fluff, OT5 friendship}

They couldn’t be more different if they tried. Louis Tomlinson is 17 years old and in his last year of the most prestigious private school in Doncaster. If there’s one thing that completely annoys him, it’s that there is a poor community college right across the street.

Harry Styles is 19 years old, and (once again) in his last year of college. He goes to community college in Doncaster. He never shows up to classes and if he actually bothers to, he’s either high or drunk; sometimes both. His skin is littered with tattoos and if there’s one thing he absolutely hates, it’s the snobby students attending the private school right across from his.

Or a sixth form!AU where Harry is the fucked up bad boy with too many problems, Louis is the perfect rich boy with too much money and their schools are right across from each other. They meet at a party and that’s the last (and maybe the only) thing they need.

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Love Is A Rebellious Bird by 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews {explicit, 134k, slow burn, enemies to lovers, friends w benefits, conductor!Harry, violinist!Louis, ot5 involvement}

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

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Unbelievers by isthatyoularry {explicit, 136k, 10 chapters, highschool AU, football/soccer, complicated families, nouis friendship}

It’s Louis’ senior year, and he’s dead set on doing it right. However, along with his pair of cleats, a healthy dose of sarcasm and his ridiculous best friend, he’s also got a complicated family, a terrifyingly uncertain future, and a mortal enemy making his life just that much worse. Mortal enemies “with benefits” was not exactly the plan.

Or: The one where Louis and Harry definitely aren’t friends, and football is everything.

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Escapade by dolce_piccante {mature, 146k, 5 chapters, fake relationship AU, slow build, side ziall, ot5 friendship + involvement, enemies to lovers, smut}

In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He's rich. He's handsome. He's reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for.

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:)

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Home is a promise I’ll always keep by styleztomlinson {teen and up, 2k, OT5 involvement, AIMH tweet, reunion, established relationship, fluff, domestic fluff}

The first thing Harry did when he saw him was break out into a wide grin and reach out his arms for his boy. Actually, the very first thing was to nearly trip over a pair of shoes (Louis’ Vans, which, details), something that Louis would tease him for later. Right now he just wanted to touch, and be as close as possible to his boy.

or,

Harry and Louis, a tweet, a coming home and a whole lot of love.

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I Want to Live, Not Merely Survive by lululawrence {mature, 4k, MITAM era, OT4 friendship + involvement, smut, fluff}

Harry had finally convinced Louis to go up to bed, but Louis merely tossed and turned for hours. In his sleep, Harry eventually curled himself up behind Louis, resting his hand on his stomach. Louis allowed himself to lean back into Harry's chest and worked to make his breaths match Harry's deep ones.

Feeling Harry so close behind him made Louis' mind finally drift elsewhere. Rather than the now, he was thinking about their future. Their shared future. The one that was, as of tomorrow, no longer a dream but an honest to God reality.

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Baby We’re Fireproof by applesaucelou {general audiences, 4k, side ziam, one shots, OT5 friendship + involvement}

A Larry coming out fic for the 2015 Summertime Sadness Fic Exchange

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oh how I wish that was me by orphan_account {explicit, 4k, hurt/comfort, fluff}

A tear drops, and then another. A pathetic sound escapes his mouth, pitiful just like his thoughts.

Because Harry wishes it was him.

He wishes he was the one with a baby growing in his belly—a real one that is. He oh so wishes this whole thing with Louis becoming a dad was real, wants Louis to be the father of a baby, to be announcing his excitement over starting a family—but not with some random girl their management picked up. He wants it to be him; the person Louis is sharing this experience with, wants to be the carrier of their child—children—so so much.

But, he wasn't, and it's not like he could ever do that for Louis. And that knowledge hurt more than anything, every single day of his life.

Or, the one in which Modest! still sucks, Harry breaks down and Louis comforts him.

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this is right where it begins by orphan_account {teen and up, 14k, collection of one shots, hurt/comfort, cuddling, fluff, established relationship, OT5 involvement + friendship}

“I can’t sleep.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Louis huffs but Harry can see the corners of his mouth turning up.

“Come cuddle?” Harry asks hopefully, tentatively opening his arms out.

Because they're better off together in their bed.

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when we were younger by luinlote {explicit, 53k, 2 chapters, smut, fluff, angst, proposal, OT4 friendship}

Canon Compliant.

In where you get to see small glimpses of Harry and Louis' life together through the years, first through the eyes of others and eventually their own, as their life keeps spinning madly around them.

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10 Years Later by Harriet1dfan {explicit, 79k, 48 chapters, future fic, canon divergence, reunion AU, fluff, smut, pining, unrequited love,  OT5 friendship, hate to love}

Louis settled a little further into the couch, forcing himself to calm down and relax. He took a deep breath and asked the one question that had been haunting him for ten years; the question only Harry had the answer to; the question that meant everything to him “Why did you do it?”

In the 10 years since One Directions' shock split in February 2015, Louis has been living a quiet life in Doncaster, trying to forget he was ever 1/5 of the world's biggest boyband. Until of course there is a televised reunion and tour.

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