One Direction
Fans of popular British boy band One Direction, photographed during a performance on ABC's "Good Morning America" in New York City on Aug. 4, 2015, have taken to Twitter to express their feelings about the group's rumored hiatus. (From left: Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan.) Getty Images

It’s been a tough year for One Direction fans. Just four months after Zayn Malik announced he would be branching out on his own the band has reportedly begun planning for a hiatus in 2016. Although sources told the Sun the British boy band’s break will not be permanent, fans aren’t taking it well.

According to NME, Directioners have flocked to Twitter to express feelings of frustration and sadness, as they often do when One Direction news breaks, following reports of their upcoming hiatus. Some attempted to brush off the hiatus claims as rumors, tweeting about how much they “hate” the Sun and bashing the media for twisting the story. Others were devastated by the news, pleading with members of One Direction to either confirm or deny the stories. There were also a select few fans who opted to lighten the mood in the 1D Twitterverse with a little comedy.

As we previously reported, sources told E! Online on Sunday that One Direction is planning a temporary retreat from the spotlight in March 2016. They are said to be using the time off to focus on “individual projects,” – something they have not had time to do in their five years as a band. Sources added that they are definitely “not splitting up.” No cause was given for their break, but it reportedly had nothing to do with Malik’s departure. According to BBC, One Direction had planned to take this time for themselves with or without him.

While One Direction may be headed for a break, an Instagram post from Niall Horan on July 29 suggested that the band’s fifth studio album was close to completion. He captioned the photo, which Capital FM reports was an image of one of One Direction’s songwriters, “Final touches.” The band has yet to announce an official release date for the still-untitled album, but if the hiatus rumors are true, it appears they won’t be touring directly after its debut.

Despite the outcry from fans none of the remaining four members of One Direction have addressed the hiatus rumors.

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