Directioners Declare Allegiances as Zayn Asks for Understanding

Roughly 12 hours after Zayn Malik responded to Louis Tomlinson's Twitter jabs at producer Naughty Boy with a declaration that their Zouis bromance was over, Zayn wants fans to know this has nothing to do with them:

Unfortunately for Zayn, the moment he hit "send" on the tweet that essentially declared #ZOUIS a thing of the past, he may have alienated fans who were taking a patient, wait-and-see attitude toward Zayn's decision to leave the group. A segment of 1D fans (and musicians, like Noel Gallagher) view Zayn's departure as misguided, but many others empathized with his evident burnout and the singer's urge to explore new creative avenues. But to leave the band is one thing — to sever a friendship is quite another.

Like the saying goes (??), "bros before solo careers." Sure, Louis' criticism of Naughty Boy's filter-heavy Photoshopping skills was probably more a swipe at Zayn's current company than it was a graphic design note. Did it justify Zayn's accusation that Louis is being "bitchy" and has "no life"? The Twitter majority doesn't think so.

We won't pretend to know what #istighfarzayn means right now, but it's been trending since daybreak and it's a huge showing from Team Louis. We hope the theory that it loosely translates to "is thigh fat Zayn" is incorrect, and it's not a body-shaming reference to Naughty Boy's weight. Directioners, by all means tweet us to explain, if you're so inclined!

Louis, who was arguably going to win Directioners' favor in this feud either way (due to his non-deserter status), kept it sunny with a message of gratitude:

As we wait for the dust to settle, you can look forward to One Direction's first late-night appearance without Zayn — the foursome will be on The Late Late Show with James Corden on May 14.