round 17 - team future - everything's fine (heartbeat racing the interstate) - 1/5
Title: Everything's Fine (Heartbeat Racing the Interstate)
Pairing: (past) LouisxHarry, (unrequited, past) ZaynxHarry, (current) Team Payzer, (past/present) ZaynxTaylor Swift,
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~36,800
Warning(s): Nudity at several points of a nonsexual nature, gay/straight relationships, passing reference to depression and a passing reference to drug use. Joking references to restraining orders and past semi-abusive/failed) relationships.
Summary: Wherein Niall plans a road trip (which started everything), Harry runs away (and everyone is pissed off), Liam swears and gets drunk (there's a lot going on and he's only human), Zayn might or might not have a restraining order on Taylor Swift (no one is actually sure), Louis refuses to pick up his phone (and not just Harry is pissed off), everyone uses voicemail, and nothing works out in the end.
A/N: I have no excuse for this. Title comes from The Summer Set's Begin Again and All Time Low's Heartbeat Racing the Interstate. Every section has a song at the beginning--I recommend listening to it as you read. AT THIS POINT, I should probably clarify that all addresses and/or phone numbers are entirely fictional. Don't go getting ideas, people, because you'll end up with either a) irate/confused people and b) a nonexistent destination.
--
part i: life's like a road
life's like a road that you travel on well it's one day here and the next day gone sometimes you bend sometimes you stand sometimes you turn your back to the wind
--
You've reached Liam and Danielle. We can't come to the phone right now, so please leave a message at the beep!
"Hey! It's Niall! I know you're screening your calls--still not sure how, exactly, you're doing that because I'm pretty sure you're home phone is just a mobile, but hey, you've always been good at getting tech to do stuff it's not supposed to--but here's the list of reasons why you should pick up your phone since you didn't answer your mobile. I promise I'm not the GossipRave reporter, and I've never been married to Zayn, also, again, considering the lack of tits, so I'm pretty sure I'm not his psycho ex-wife, although you should-"
"Niall, hi!"
"--seriously consider changing your damn phone number, Liam."
"I probably should, one of these days. Anyway, was there a point to this phone call other than to remind me of some really intensely creepy people in my life?"
"One, I don't think Danielle appreciates being called intensely creepy. Two, yes, there is a point."
"..."
"..."
"... Well, what was the point?"
"What would you say if I was working on getting One Direction together for a reunion road trip?"
"I'd say you should talk to your doctor about anti-psychosis meds. You do realize there's no way that's actually going to happen, right?"
"It could happen."
"Yeah, with blood and tears and possibly cannibalism . Broken limbs at the very least."
"You're exaggerating, Liam."
"You've seriously managed to forget what happened the last time all five of us were in the same room?"
"... Well, no. But that was sort of mitigating circumstances."
"Those mitigating circumstances haven't worn out yet."
"It's been four years, though. Even... well, even he can't hold a grudge for that long."
"It's a hell of a lot more than a grudge, Niall. They won't even stay in the same country, or the same continent if they can help it, much less the same motor vehicle. If you can get even one of the others in, I will be suitably impressed and agree. So. Road trip?"
"Road trip."
"Where to?"
"I don't know. Anywhere, really. I was thinking like everywhere in the US we never got to see when we were touring, the big cities and stuff, then maybe crossing the pond and seeing some of Europe, if we've got time."
"Not so much a road trip, then."
"I maintain that 'road trip' sounds better than 'road-and-sky-and-water- trip' and therefore we will be calling it a 'road trip.'"
"I can hear your air quotes. Is that even possible?"
"It shouldn't be, I don't think? Anyway. You in?"
"Let me make a few phone calls and I'll get back to you. Hey, Niall?"
"Yeah?"
"When would we be leaving?"
"Two weeks?"
"How long would we be gone?"
"Two weeks?"
"You haven't thought this through at all, have you?"
"Not at all."
"Alright. Well, I'll call you in a few hours. And Niall?"
"Yeah, Liam?"
"Don't get your hopes up on... you-know-who. He's been ignoring my calls for three years now. But..."
"But what?"
"Well, if anyone can fix whatever happened between them, it's going to be you. He might hate the rest of us, but he's always had a soft spot for you."
"Everyone has a soft spot for me, apparently."
"Yeah, you're the only one who still talks to all of us. So there's that. Don't push too hard, though. If there's a chance of getting him back... don't ruin it."
"Noted. Talk to you later?"
"Yeah. Bye, Niall."
--
Hi, you've reached Harry Styles. I'm probably busy right now, so leave a message and I'll call back when I can!
"I swear to God, Styles, if you've taken a leaf from Liam's book and are fucking screening your calls now, I'm going to track you down and make you regret it. I know you have caller ID, dumbass. Whatever. Call me when you get this. And if you fucking have to ask who, we're going to be having problems."
--
"Niall Horan speaking."
"I still find it really fucking hilarious that you still answer your phone like that. Even Liam doesn't do that anymore."
"Yeah, because he fucking screens his calls now. Hi, Harry."
"I honestly don't blame him."
"On that topic, why weren't you answering your phone earlier?"
"What, are you my girlfriend now?"
"No, just wondering if we can get group discounts on restraining orders."
"You are way too fucking enthusiastic about groupons, Niall."
"But it's a group coupon. Usually on food. And don't think I don't hear your attempt at evading my question."
"My phone got confiscated for texting during an interview again."
"Paul still riding herd on you?"
"He claims it's easier with one rather than five. Did we ever figure out why he stuck with me and not Liam?"
"Something about his son liking you more?"
"No, that was Lou and Lux, and they picked Liam."
"Right... Well, only you could turn an indie career into a successful acting career, especially since you couldn't even act a few years ago. Seriously, Harry. You're probably the only hipster on the planet to require a security team."
"I think being a former popstar might have something to do with that, and that Mark Foster might give me a run for my money."
"I will give you that. Tell Paul hi for me, though."
"Yeah, sure thing. So. You wanted me to call you back?"
"Yeah, I'm working on setting up a One Direction reunion road trip. Liam's in; are you?"
"..."
"...Hello? Harry, you still there?"
"Yeah, it's just a bit much to take in."
"Do you need time, or...?"
"Yeah, let me think about it. I'll call you back when I've got a decision."
"That doesn't sound like a yes."
"That's because it's not. Look, it's not the best time for me. My band just finished a tour, I've got a taping this week..."
"Right, how's your show going?"
"Better than I'd expected. It's a nice change from playing myself."
"You're in... what is it now, Season 7 of Teen Wolf?"
"Six."
"You'll do great."
"Yeah, it's just a fuckton of work."
"You're the adopted werewolf child of the pack leaders. I'm just glad that they didn't kill off Stiles when Derek went."
"They wouldn't have done that if there hadn't been--shit."
"Wait, what?"
"Contract. Can't talk about it."
"Dude. It's me."
"Dude. It's you. But the long and short of it was there was a thing with the director and an almost lawsuit and... yeah, stuff. A lot of work."
"So take a break and come with us on a road trip."
"Liam's in already, you said? What about Louis? And Zayn, of course."
"Haven't called either of them yet. Zayn'll be easy enough to convince, Liam's in and I've got a handy bit of blackmail I've been saving."
"You're going to give his ex his phone number."
"I'm not actually that cruel. I'm just going to threaten to give his ex his mobile number."
"What part of 'he has a restraining order on his ex' are you not getting here, Niall?"
"The part where I actually follow through?"
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask. Why does Zayn have a restraining order on her?"
"... I don't actually know. I think she refused to believe they weren't working and kept showing up where he lived after they split? Ask him, if you're so curious."
"She's sort of a sore topic with him. I'm not going to be the one to bring that up. One Direction interpersonal relationships are bad enough as it is."
"Yeah, why exactly, are you still not talking to Liam?"
"He's not talking to me."
"No, I asked him the same thing earlier. He said you weren't talking to him."
"You didn't say anything about Louis."
"What? Change of topic much?"
"You're avoiding the question. You didn't say anything about Louis."
"Can you blame me, really?"
"Not really. I just... I don't have closure, is all."
"It's been four years, Haz."
"If you remember, I wanted forever."
"I do remember a few arguments to that effect. But... it's been four years, Harry. You're serious about not having moved on?"
"A little yeah. And Niall? If I go, Louis won't. You know that, right?"
"You're in?"
"I'm in. When do we head out?"
"Two weeks."
"Meet you at LAX, then?"
"Yeah. Maybe you could coordinate flights with Liam?"
"I'd really rather not, but I'll give him a ring. Or Danielle. I still talk with her sometimes. Nice talking with you, Niall."
"You too, Haz. Take care."
--
This is Zayn. I can't take your call right now or I've forgotten to charge my battery again or dropped my phone in the toilet. You'll probably do better calling the cafe or yelling at me in person. Leave a message at the beep.
"Zayn, charge your damn phone. I'll call the cafe next."
--
"La Bella Luna Cafe and Bakery, Rosie speaking, how may I help you?"
"Can you tell Zayn that Niall's calling?"
"Yeah, sure...Zayn, phone! He forgot to charge his battery again, didn't he?"
"His voicemail said something about a toilet?"
"That's only happened once, and it was like a year ago. Seriously, Zayn, phone!"
"If it's a bad time, I can call back later?"
"No, he's just flirting with the new pastry chef. Zayn Malik, don't you make me come over there or I will rip your balls off and sell them on E-Bay, swear to God I will!"
"That's a bit cruel, don't you think?"
"What's cruel is watching Sammy shoot him down and him not taking the hint that she's got a girlfriend."
"Thank you for the commentary on my love life, Rosie. I've got the extension. You can hang up now."
"Charge your damn phone, Malik."
"Has she hung up?"
"Yeah. Hi, Zayn Malik speaking, may I ask who this is?"
"My accent wasn't enough of a clue? It's Niall Horan."
"Niall, mate! How've you been?"
"Been better, been worse. How's the cafe?"
"Doing fantastically. We've got a new pastry chef; she's fantastic."
"I still can't believe you opened a cafe."
"I still can't believe I hired Rosie. She could give Simon Cowell a run for his money."
"I think that's why you hired her. Stockholm Syndrome."
"Yeah, maybe! So, what's up, Niall? You coming to London sometime soon? I'm pretty sure you haven't come to visit since moving out a couple years ago. Be cool to see you again, yeah?"
"Not my fault you stayed in London while the rest of us moved elsewhere."
"Yeah, how is everyone else?"
"Liam's Liam, Harry's working on his show, and I haven't talked to Louis yet."
"Yet? You're planning something."
"Yeah, maybe a little bit."
"So spill."
"Liam, Harry and I are going on a road trip reunion type thing. I was wondering if you'd be up for it?"
"Fuck, yeah, of course. I haven't seen the lads in ages. Oh! Olly and Cher both said to tell you hello next time we talked."
"How's Cher, by the way?"
"She's going to have twins."
"You're joking."
"Dead serious."
"Damn. After the triplets?"
"That's what I said."
"She's going to need a lot of luck if they're anything like the little monsters she's already got. And Olly?"
"Same old, same old. He keeps trying to get me to record with him."
"Well, you are both mentors on the X-Factor, Zayn. You're going to have to sing with him at some point."
"I'd rather sing with Ed."
"Haven't seen him recently?"
"Nah, he and Harry probably see more of each other nowadays."
"If that fucker's been seeing Ed and didn't tell me, I swear to God..."
"Same old Harry, then."
"Same old Harry."
"So when's this get-together road trip? And for how long?"
"It's in two weeks, for two weeks, and it starts at LAX."
"I'll see what I can do. Oh, shit, I've got to deal with a wedding cake order. Call you later?"
"Yeah, go deal with your cake. Save me a slice!"
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Your voicemail recording gets more and more soulless every time I hear it, Louis. I can't believe you used the fill-in-the-blank automatic one. It's Niall Horan, by the way. Listen. Me and the lads...we're planning a get together. We'll be going on a road trip, from LA to New York, and then we're heading over to Europe for a bit. We're leaving two weeks from today, and it's an open invitation--you can join us anytime. If you'd rather not, no hard feelings, but Louis... we all miss you. Think about it? Anyways, you know how to reach me. And--congratulations on Mary Poppins. You'll do great."
--
part ii: stories yet to unfold
don't forget, we've got unfinished business stories yet to unfold tales that must be retold and I regret not knowing when to put an end to all this madness
--
"You're fucking kidding me, right?"
Niall bit back a laugh at the complete disbelief in Zayn's voice. "Dead serious."
"Where did you even find this thing?" Zayn set down his bag and ran a hand down the side of the violently orange Volkswagen T2 minibus. "How'd you get permission to use it? I'd have thought it'd be in a museum somewhere."
"It's not the exact same," Niall admitted, leaning against the campervan. "But the rental agency had a bunch of different vans--really?" he cut off at Zayn's surprised look. "Did you expect me to buy a van for a two week trip? Really?"
Zayn laughed, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying, it's the kind of thing you've done in the past."
"You're confusing me with Harry again. Anyways. The rental agency had a bunch of different vans and when I saw this one I half-died laughing and then couldn't resist. The guy at the desk thought I was a nut. But it's big enough for all of us, with three rows of bench seats, and the front, and trunk space too. And it's got curtains."
"So basically you picked it for old time's sake?"
"A bit. Also because I might actually be able to shock Harry, and then we'll be even for the salt incident." Niall picked up Zayn's suitcase and swung it into the trunk beside his own. "Pick a seat, any seat."
Zayn chose a bench seat two rows behind the driver and set his bag down, noticing that Niall's backpack and a battered blue cooler were tucked underneath the first row of bench seats.
"So what time do Liam, Harry and Louis get in?"
"I don't think Louis' coming--" Niall started.
Zayn rolled his eyes. "Let me guess: Louis hasn't returned your calls, so you're assuming that was a 'no chance in hell, fuckers, I left you behind years ago' answer."
"Be nice, Zayn," Niall admonished--although he wasn't sure why Zayn still carried a grudge. He knew that Zayn and Louis had gotten into some pretty spectacular fights right before One Direction's breakup, but that had been years ago. "I'm sure he's just busy."
Zayn snorted. "We're all busy, and yet we made time to answer phone calls."
"Zayn."
"Niall. He made his choice clear, or don't you remember that?" Zayn folded his arms and gave Niall the look that meant that conversation topic was over.
"I remember. But, anyways. Liam and Harry met up in Seattle--Harry was doing a location shoot and Liam was on vacation with Danielle in Victoria--and their flight gets in at three, I think? So we should get them from baggage at two-twenty, since they don't have to clear customs like you did."
"So what do we do for four hours?"
"Want to grab lunch? I'm sure there's an In'N'Out somewhere around here."
"Sounds good to me."
Five hours later, when Niall got the phone call that Liam and Harry had landed, he grabbed Zayn by the sleeve, dragging him out of the novelty store that Zayn had found and insisted they enter. It only sold peanuts, albeit in various forms: real, fake, candied, printed on t-shirts and even stitched into children's toys.
Zayn, for whatever reason, had been absolutely enthralled. Niall had mostly tried not to be too creeped out.
They found Liam first, wrestling a bag off the luggage carousel, muttering darkly under his breath. Niall was taken aback; it wasn't like Liam to swear just over a suitcase.
Then they found Harry.
Suddenly, Liam's mood was explained. Harry was very clearly not happy with Liam; Niall vaguely wondered if Harry was still upset about everything that had gone down four years ago and shook it off. Harry could hold a grudge, but four years worth? Not even he could do that.
Except Harry's glares suggested otherwise, as did the way Liam continued to swear under his breath.
Niall started to worry. If Harry and Liam couldn't handle a four hour flight with each other, how were they going to deal with two weeks? This could possibly end in murder and he would honestly rather avoid that if at all possible.
But when Zayn pulled Harry into a hug and shot a wary smile at Liam, Niall could suddenly breathe again. He started up a rapid conversation about LA traffic and talked loudly about the peanut store Zayn had found, and that worked enough to calm everyone's nerves so they could pick up their things and find the van.
But once everyone had tossed their bags into the boot and claimed seats, they all stood awkwardly and stared at each other in the airport parking garage, no one sure what to say.
Niall examined each of his friends and noted the differences and similarities--and it was pretty easy to see what was different. They'd all changed in the four years since they'd last been together, and there was still tension between Liam, Harry, and Zayn over sides taken during the split. Overall though, Niall thought it rather felt like coming home.
Harry's hair was shorter now and he was wearing thick black-rimmed glasses; Zayn had expanded his tattoos into complete sleeves and wore his hair out of his quiff, flecked with grey--apparently it was a family trait, going grey early. Liam had grown his hair out into a style more reminiscent of their X-Factor days, and Niall had reverted back to brown hair.
Harry was holding a video camera, filming as much as possible: the van, their bags, the four of them. When Niall asked why, Harry just shrugged.
"I thought it'd be cool, since I'm pretty sure none of us have any home videos from the past, what, eight years? It was always random strangers with cameras following us around. It'll be fun."
Niall accepted that answer and grinned brightly "So, where to first?" No one responded for a long moment, the only sounds those of LA traffic and a bustling airport. "We could do the LA touristy stuff?"
"San Francisco," Liam said decisively. "I want to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Be nice to see the city without being mobbed by fans or surrounded by security."
"Speaking of," Zayn said, shuffling to lean against the van. "You and Harry are still pretty famous in the States. Is it safe for you to be wandering around sans security?"
Liam grinned and patted his hair. "I was considering going blond for awhile. Plus, as far as the public is concerned, I'm in Victoria, writing songs for my next album. If I wear sunglasses a lot, dye my hair, and hang out with you, no one's going to suspect it's me." He turned to Harry, who smiled widely.
"And I can wear hats, and my fan base is usually too 'cool' to ask for an autograph," Harry said, making air quotes with one hand, balancing his camera with the other. "Or at the very least, they won't believe it's me if I wear different clothes and insist I'm not Harry Styles. Plus there's actually a guy who looks like me and lives here in the US. If I fake an American accent, I'll get by."
"That's settled then! All aboard?" Niall said, bouncing. "Onward ho!"
The first three hours in the van were filled with chatter. Niall drove, Liam had snagged the front seat and Harry and Zayn were comfortably sprawled out in the back. They talked about where they'd been, what they'd done in the past four years, catching up on each other's lives. There was one moment where Niall was almost sure Harry and Zayn were going to yell at Liam, but it was thankfully averted by one of Liam's songs coming on the radio.
"Urg, no." Niall said, rolling his eyes. "Liam, I love you, but I don't fucking need to hear your music when I can hear your voice right now. Could you change it?"
"Yeah, sure," Liam spun the dial and they landed on a classical music station, some vaguely familiar but unrecognizable string quartet piece floating through the speakers. "Let's make it into a game," he suggested. "Veto on anything about us. Every time one of us comes up--so let's see, that'd be...a song from either Harry's or my albums, a song Niall helped write and/or produce, or...I dunno, something one of Zayn's contestants performed? Whatever. When one of us comes up, we've got to...do a dare? Tell a stupid story? Sing along?"
"I'm in," Niall said cheerfully. "Of course, I've got like three times as much as the rest of you, so I'll share with Zayn."
"So much love, Horan," Zayn grumbled, but his eyes were bright and he seemed agreeable enough. Harry was more hesitant--he seemed disinclined to agree with anything suggested by Liam--but after cajoling from Zayn and Niall, he agreed.
Liam spun the dial again and they listened to Rihanna's latest hit without conversation. They sat through an interview with one of the newest pop stars on the scene, and then the first single off of Harry's most recent album began playing.
"Dammit!" Harry swore, although he didn't set down his camera. He glared at either Liam or the radio; they were both in the same general area so it was difficult to tell.
"Zayn, keep score," Niall instructed gleefully. "Harry, one, everyone else, zero." Zayn dutifully made a note on his phone. "Okay, Harry. What'll it be--sing along, story, or dare?"
"That's a Top 40 station," Harry said, obviously confused and irritated enough to ignore Niall's question. "What's a song by Skyscraper Love doing on there?"
"It's a good song," Zayn countered. "I keep hearing it in the cafe, and my contestant wanted to cover it last season."
"But Top 40." Harry winced. "I finally got away from mainstream."
"Harry, I hate to break it to you, but you're an internationally famous popstar," Niall said dryly, signaling and smoothly merging lanes. "You're in Teen Wolf, which has managed to become one of the iconic TV shows of our generation. Sort of like FRIENDS was for the generation before us. It doesn't matter what genre of music you play, it's going to end up on a Top 40 station."
Harry opened his mouth to protest but Liam cut him off. "Sing along, story, or dare?"
"Story, I guess." Zayn gestured for Harry's camera and Harry handed it over, quickly explaining the zoom and record buttons. "So. You all know how Paul is the head of my security team now?"
Everyone nodded in acknowledgement as Liam turned the volume on the radio down.
"Anyways, I managed to convince Paul to let our band go buy some Nerf guns and a couple extra packs of ammo. And then we invaded Cher's set when we were both playing that festival a few months back? Olly was there too."
"Oh, I remember that!" Zayn cut in. "Olly kept telling me about it for weeks afterwards."
"Don't ruin the ending for those who haven't heard it yet," Harry snapped, but he was grinning. "So we invaded Cher's set, but she'd been warned of the attack in advance--Paul later admitted it was him, traitorous security man--and fought us off with a light-up Star Wars light saber."
The car was silent for a moment before Niall burst out laughing, and suddenly all of them were cracking up.
"And the triplets?" Liam managed through his laughter.
"Waiting in the wings in Clone Trooper helmets. We never stood a chance. Death by cute Storm Troopers."
Somehow, Harry's story broke the tension in the car. Niall wasn't entirely sure why they were fighting--he was pretty sure it was leftovers from when the band had split; Zayn had taken Harry's side, Liam Louis', and Niall had tried to remain impartial. It was nice to see that everyone was trying to mend the cracks now, even if it was four years too late.
They fell into easy conversation after that, retreating to safe topics that no one could argue with--old mutual friends, fun memories that hadn't yet been ruined, a new movie, and more song challenges.
A song Niall had written came up not fifteen minutes later and he was forced to sing along as he drove. That usually wouldn't be embarrassing, but considering that the song had been written for soprano and was about how a girl loved a boy--that made it a fair bit more awkward. Niall didn't let that get to him and simply belted along, his voice cracking as he tried to reach the higher notes.
Harry gleefully videotaped the whole thing before Zayn begged stories about Paul and his family off of Liam.
They switched drivers after three hours, when Niall began complaining of pins and needles in his legs. Harry took over driving, while Zayn moved to the front seat, taking over Harry's camera yet again. Niall and Liam gratefully swapped places, Niall in the bench seat immediately behind the passenger seat and Liam a row behind him.
Zayn leaned back in his seat, his head nearly in Niall's lap. "So no one knows anything about Louis anymore?" Niall asked absently.
Zayn gave Niall a look that spoke volumes. "He won't answer our phone calls, Nialler. I don't think he even knows about any of us anymore."
"He's on Broadway," Liam offered. They all pretended not to notice how Harry's hands tightened on the steering wheel and how he remained quiet on the subject. "I think he's playing Bert in Mary Poppins."
"Good for him," Harry said softly. "So maybe he was just too busy to come this week."
Liam opened his mouth as if to say something, but a glare from Zayn shut him up completely. The tension that had managed to vanish in the previous few hours was back with a vengeance.
"His loss," Zayn said airily, clearly aiming for nonchalant but failing. "If he decided he was too busy to come, well then. His problem."
Niall sighed. He hoped the tension cleared up soon, or else this roadtrip was just going to be uncomfortable. "Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Put the radio back on, will you?"
When the song Harry switched to was one of his own, he groaned and decided to tell a story.
--
part iii: it don't break even
they say bad things happen for a reason but no wise word's gonna stop the bleeding he's moved on while I'm still grieving cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Louis? It's Harry. I know I'm probably the last person in the world you want to hear, but... just because you're mad at me, don't take it out on the other lads. They really miss you, and... I don't want to be the reason everything's all fucked up between you and them. I'll even split the road trip with you--we don't have to be on the same part. Just... think about it, okay? I love you. I always have, always will."
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Louis, you're being a bit of a dick. Whatever happened between you and Harry, it's messing with everyone else, and I'd like to have my friends back. Just because you and Harry had a thing that didn't work out doesn't mean you can't still be friends with the rest of us. In case you aren't aware, that wasn't a divorce and Harry didn't get custody of us. Seriously. Call us or I'll track you down at your little Broadway show and explain to you firsthand. Just because you're pissed at Harry doesn't mean you should take it out on the rest of us. Zayn Malik, by the way. In case you couldn't tell."
--
You know who it is. Leave a message at the beep.
"Niall...it's Louis. Um. Could you tell Zayn and Harry to fuck off? I'm not going on this stupid road trip, and I'd really appreciate never hearing from them ever again."
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Niall Horan speaking. Oh, look, you're actually alive. We weren't sure. I'll tell Zayn and Harry to stop but, Jesus Christ, Louis. Grow up. The rest of us did. We're not teenagers anymore. Stop acting like we are."
--
part iv: put all the past behind me
going on my way packing up today i can't live a life with this way of thinking cause I know what's right i’m gonna leave tonight and put all the past behind me
--
"Hey, pull over," Zayn said suddenly. Harry blinked in surprise but obliged. From the back, Liam made a questioning noise, pulling off his headphones.
"If you need a bathroom break, we just passed a rest stop. You don't have to pee on the side of the road--" Harry began.
"No. Although, speaking of. Yeah, can we go back there? Like. Soon?" Harry started to pull back into the lane in order to turn around but Zayn stopped him. "Not now. But. Just look--doesn't this place look familiar to you?"
Harry turned and broke out in a wide grin. "Yeah!"
"Wuzgoinon?" Niall slurred from his seat, his accent thickened with sleep. "Whwesto?"
"Focus on waking up, Niall," Liam said gently. "Although I do agree with him. Where are we and what's going on?"
"No' wha I ask," Niall mumbled and struggled into an upright position, gathering his blanket around him. "Ho' long was I sleepin'?"
"You've been out for about an hour," Harry said. "You passed like ten minutes after we switched drivers. Even Zayn doesn't fall asleep that fast."
"I take offense at that!" Zayn protested.
"It's not my fault! I was up since five this morning! I couldn't sleep!" Niall defended.
"You're telling me you got nervous about a road trip?"
"You try driving for eight hours straight and see how awake you are!"
Liam sighed loudly, interrupting their bickering. "Harry, where are we?"
"We're at the beach where we filmed What Makes You Beautiful!" Harry said gleefully, forgetting to be mad at Liam. "Remember how fucking freezing the water was?" he asked as they scrambled out of the van.
"Jesus yes," Niall mumbled, finally regaining something resembling consciousness and barely managing not to trip as they picked their way down the slope. "Thought my nuts were going to fall off."
"I mostly remember being embarrassed," Liam admitted. "It was weird, singing to the cameras."
"And the cameramen!" Zayn added. "They definitely didn't make things easier."
"I'm pretty sure Paul paid them to do that," Niall said. Everyone stopped as they considered the implications of that.
"But the eyebrows," Liam said, in a pained tone. "I was half certain Camera A was going to kidnap one of us and do scary painful things."
"I was more scared of being molested, but okay," Harry said. "But Paul? Are we sure it wasn't Simon?"
"Or Paul on orders from Simon?" Zayn shrugged and reached for his lighter, flicking it open and closed.
"Probably true," Harry said, still filming the beach. "Hey, anyone want to reenact a few scenes? Make an 'Eight Years After' remake video?"
"We're missing Louis," Zayn said quietly, saying what no one else wanted to. "It'll be a bit difficult. And the girls, too."
"Spoilsports, all of you. We'll make a better one," Harry insisted, pointedly ignoring the comment about Louis. "Can we have a bonfire, at least?"
Everyone agreed to that.
"Okay, seriously, Niall. What even are we doing here? Like. Really," Zayn asked, tossing a log onto their makeshift bonfire. The fire itself was actually pretty small but it was bright, casting a circle of light onto the beach. The sun had just begun to set, a half-circle on the horizon. "Because I really don't buy into that whole 'just catching up' deal."
Niall shrugged. "I was getting--I can't think of a good word, but--itchy, in LA. I mean, we did this whole... everything together for four years, and then nothing at all. I know we'll never go back to how we were, but. I missed you. Is that a valid reason?"
"Sort of like the bungalow, yeah?" Harry said. He stared into the fire, his camera forgotten on the log beside him. "We all grounded each other, and you've got to admit, none of us have been particularly grounded recently."
"We'll, we're here, we've got two weeks..." Liam smiled and leaned back onto his elbows, grinning wider when Harry offered a half-smile of his own. "We can try to be friends again, can't we?"
"Cheers to that," Zayn said, finally relaxing into a real smile. "So if we're doing this to reconnect and forget about the outside world, I guess we should have a no phones rule?"
Harry hummed agreement and everyone switched off their phones.
Niall sat up. "Okay, before we go any further, let's just get everything out in the open so we don't have to deal with anyone pushing anyone else off cliffs." He punctuated this with a glare at Zayn.
"That was one time, it was an accident, and the cliff wasn't even a meter tall! He didn't even get a bruise!"
"I feel like I missed something," Liam said. Harry glared at Liam but nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you did," Niall said brightly, while Zayn grumbled.
"There was a company picnic and I might have gotten into a disagreement with Olly. He's fine!" Zayn hastened to assure everyone else. "It was more of a friendly shove, anyways. I forgot there was a cliff and Olly fell. S'why there's not any more Syco company picnics where Olly and I are both invited."
"Okay then," Harry said, blinking. "What did you mean about getting everything out in the open?"
"I mean, I'm not spending two weeks in a van while you send dagger glares at Liam because someone will end up dead, and it will not be me," Niall said bluntly. "And Zayn, just because you're being more subtle doesn't mean I don't notice it."
Zayn and Harry both tried to argue but were promptly shut up by an earsplitting whistle from Liam. "Just let Niall talk. If you remember, he's what held us together that last year. Show some respect."
"See, that's exactly why--" Harry began, and Niall cuffed him upside the head.
"Alright, Harry, you're up first. Why, exactly, are you not talking to Liam?"
Harry folded his arms and slouched into a sulk. "You know why."
"No, I don't, otherwise I wouldn't be asking," Niall informed him. "Try again."
"He's still friends with Louis."
Liam rolled his eyes. "Actually, I'm not. He stopped answering my calls three years ago. I've sent him birthday cards and they've all been returned unopened--just like someone else I could name?" he glared at Harry, and it was truly an odd look to see on Liam's face, considering Liam rarely ever glared.
Harry at least had the grace to look embarrassed.
"Okay, Zayn, air your grievance."
"'Air your grievance'?" Zayn said, raising an eyebrow.
Niall blushed. "Been watching period dramas with Annab--never mind. It's embarrassing. What's your problem?"
"Same as Harry."
Niall gave Zayn a skeptical look. "Did I miss something between you and Louis?"
"What?"
"Harry's pissed because Liam sided with his ex-boyfriend in their split. As far as I know, you never dated Louis and therefore have no right to pull the righteous anger card. Stop it. Liam, you're up."
"I'm not mad at anyone." Harry scoffed at Liam's statement. "No, really, I'm not!" Liam shrugged. "I'm annoyed, sure, especially because everyone seems to be mad at me and I don't know why and it's a little frustrating, but I'm not mad at anyone."
Niall nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, my turn. I'm pissed that you're all acting like five year olds, because we're all in our twenties and we're perfectly capable of being friends with our friends."
"Who said we were friends?" Harry countered.
"Um, me." The look on Niall's face dared anyone to argue with him. "We are going to go on this roadtrip, and we're going to have fun and we're all going to get along, damnit. Now are we all going to shake hands and get along or am I going to have to dig my ukulele out of the boot so I can sing Hakuna Matata over and over until you all get it?"
Harry and Liam shook hands.
They stayed for an hour, singing along to songs Niall played on his guitar, tossing rocks and bits of kindling into the fire until it finally died out.
"I'll drive," Zayn offered when they returned to the van, and took the keys from Niall. "I want to see how this thing handles." Niall raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot until Zayn blushed. "Okay, fine. Can we have a bathroom stop first?"
Pairing: (past) LouisxHarry, (unrequited, past) ZaynxHarry, (current) Team Payzer, (past/present) ZaynxTaylor Swift,
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: ~36,800
Warning(s): Nudity at several points of a nonsexual nature, gay/straight relationships, passing reference to depression and a passing reference to drug use. Joking references to restraining orders and past semi-abusive/failed) relationships.
Summary: Wherein Niall plans a road trip (which started everything), Harry runs away (and everyone is pissed off), Liam swears and gets drunk (there's a lot going on and he's only human), Zayn might or might not have a restraining order on Taylor Swift (no one is actually sure), Louis refuses to pick up his phone (and not just Harry is pissed off), everyone uses voicemail, and nothing works out in the end.
A/N: I have no excuse for this. Title comes from The Summer Set's Begin Again and All Time Low's Heartbeat Racing the Interstate. Every section has a song at the beginning--I recommend listening to it as you read. AT THIS POINT, I should probably clarify that all addresses and/or phone numbers are entirely fictional. Don't go getting ideas, people, because you'll end up with either a) irate/confused people and b) a nonexistent destination.
--
part i: life's like a road
life's like a road that you travel on well it's one day here and the next day gone sometimes you bend sometimes you stand sometimes you turn your back to the wind
--
You've reached Liam and Danielle. We can't come to the phone right now, so please leave a message at the beep!
"Hey! It's Niall! I know you're screening your calls--still not sure how, exactly, you're doing that because I'm pretty sure you're home phone is just a mobile, but hey, you've always been good at getting tech to do stuff it's not supposed to--but here's the list of reasons why you should pick up your phone since you didn't answer your mobile. I promise I'm not the GossipRave reporter, and I've never been married to Zayn, also, again, considering the lack of tits, so I'm pretty sure I'm not his psycho ex-wife, although you should-"
"Niall, hi!"
"--seriously consider changing your damn phone number, Liam."
"I probably should, one of these days. Anyway, was there a point to this phone call other than to remind me of some really intensely creepy people in my life?"
"One, I don't think Danielle appreciates being called intensely creepy. Two, yes, there is a point."
"..."
"..."
"... Well, what was the point?"
"What would you say if I was working on getting One Direction together for a reunion road trip?"
"I'd say you should talk to your doctor about anti-psychosis meds. You do realize there's no way that's actually going to happen, right?"
"It could happen."
"Yeah, with blood and tears and possibly cannibalism . Broken limbs at the very least."
"You're exaggerating, Liam."
"You've seriously managed to forget what happened the last time all five of us were in the same room?"
"... Well, no. But that was sort of mitigating circumstances."
"Those mitigating circumstances haven't worn out yet."
"It's been four years, though. Even... well, even he can't hold a grudge for that long."
"It's a hell of a lot more than a grudge, Niall. They won't even stay in the same country, or the same continent if they can help it, much less the same motor vehicle. If you can get even one of the others in, I will be suitably impressed and agree. So. Road trip?"
"Road trip."
"Where to?"
"I don't know. Anywhere, really. I was thinking like everywhere in the US we never got to see when we were touring, the big cities and stuff, then maybe crossing the pond and seeing some of Europe, if we've got time."
"Not so much a road trip, then."
"I maintain that 'road trip' sounds better than 'road-and-sky-and-water- trip' and therefore we will be calling it a 'road trip.'"
"I can hear your air quotes. Is that even possible?"
"It shouldn't be, I don't think? Anyway. You in?"
"Let me make a few phone calls and I'll get back to you. Hey, Niall?"
"Yeah?"
"When would we be leaving?"
"Two weeks?"
"How long would we be gone?"
"Two weeks?"
"You haven't thought this through at all, have you?"
"Not at all."
"Alright. Well, I'll call you in a few hours. And Niall?"
"Yeah, Liam?"
"Don't get your hopes up on... you-know-who. He's been ignoring my calls for three years now. But..."
"But what?"
"Well, if anyone can fix whatever happened between them, it's going to be you. He might hate the rest of us, but he's always had a soft spot for you."
"Everyone has a soft spot for me, apparently."
"Yeah, you're the only one who still talks to all of us. So there's that. Don't push too hard, though. If there's a chance of getting him back... don't ruin it."
"Noted. Talk to you later?"
"Yeah. Bye, Niall."
--
Hi, you've reached Harry Styles. I'm probably busy right now, so leave a message and I'll call back when I can!
"I swear to God, Styles, if you've taken a leaf from Liam's book and are fucking screening your calls now, I'm going to track you down and make you regret it. I know you have caller ID, dumbass. Whatever. Call me when you get this. And if you fucking have to ask who, we're going to be having problems."
--
"Niall Horan speaking."
"I still find it really fucking hilarious that you still answer your phone like that. Even Liam doesn't do that anymore."
"Yeah, because he fucking screens his calls now. Hi, Harry."
"I honestly don't blame him."
"On that topic, why weren't you answering your phone earlier?"
"What, are you my girlfriend now?"
"No, just wondering if we can get group discounts on restraining orders."
"You are way too fucking enthusiastic about groupons, Niall."
"But it's a group coupon. Usually on food. And don't think I don't hear your attempt at evading my question."
"My phone got confiscated for texting during an interview again."
"Paul still riding herd on you?"
"He claims it's easier with one rather than five. Did we ever figure out why he stuck with me and not Liam?"
"Something about his son liking you more?"
"No, that was Lou and Lux, and they picked Liam."
"Right... Well, only you could turn an indie career into a successful acting career, especially since you couldn't even act a few years ago. Seriously, Harry. You're probably the only hipster on the planet to require a security team."
"I think being a former popstar might have something to do with that, and that Mark Foster might give me a run for my money."
"I will give you that. Tell Paul hi for me, though."
"Yeah, sure thing. So. You wanted me to call you back?"
"Yeah, I'm working on setting up a One Direction reunion road trip. Liam's in; are you?"
"..."
"...Hello? Harry, you still there?"
"Yeah, it's just a bit much to take in."
"Do you need time, or...?"
"Yeah, let me think about it. I'll call you back when I've got a decision."
"That doesn't sound like a yes."
"That's because it's not. Look, it's not the best time for me. My band just finished a tour, I've got a taping this week..."
"Right, how's your show going?"
"Better than I'd expected. It's a nice change from playing myself."
"You're in... what is it now, Season 7 of Teen Wolf?"
"Six."
"You'll do great."
"Yeah, it's just a fuckton of work."
"You're the adopted werewolf child of the pack leaders. I'm just glad that they didn't kill off Stiles when Derek went."
"They wouldn't have done that if there hadn't been--shit."
"Wait, what?"
"Contract. Can't talk about it."
"Dude. It's me."
"Dude. It's you. But the long and short of it was there was a thing with the director and an almost lawsuit and... yeah, stuff. A lot of work."
"So take a break and come with us on a road trip."
"Liam's in already, you said? What about Louis? And Zayn, of course."
"Haven't called either of them yet. Zayn'll be easy enough to convince, Liam's in and I've got a handy bit of blackmail I've been saving."
"You're going to give his ex his phone number."
"I'm not actually that cruel. I'm just going to threaten to give his ex his mobile number."
"What part of 'he has a restraining order on his ex' are you not getting here, Niall?"
"The part where I actually follow through?"
"Actually, I've been meaning to ask. Why does Zayn have a restraining order on her?"
"... I don't actually know. I think she refused to believe they weren't working and kept showing up where he lived after they split? Ask him, if you're so curious."
"She's sort of a sore topic with him. I'm not going to be the one to bring that up. One Direction interpersonal relationships are bad enough as it is."
"Yeah, why exactly, are you still not talking to Liam?"
"He's not talking to me."
"No, I asked him the same thing earlier. He said you weren't talking to him."
"You didn't say anything about Louis."
"What? Change of topic much?"
"You're avoiding the question. You didn't say anything about Louis."
"Can you blame me, really?"
"Not really. I just... I don't have closure, is all."
"It's been four years, Haz."
"If you remember, I wanted forever."
"I do remember a few arguments to that effect. But... it's been four years, Harry. You're serious about not having moved on?"
"A little yeah. And Niall? If I go, Louis won't. You know that, right?"
"You're in?"
"I'm in. When do we head out?"
"Two weeks."
"Meet you at LAX, then?"
"Yeah. Maybe you could coordinate flights with Liam?"
"I'd really rather not, but I'll give him a ring. Or Danielle. I still talk with her sometimes. Nice talking with you, Niall."
"You too, Haz. Take care."
--
This is Zayn. I can't take your call right now or I've forgotten to charge my battery again or dropped my phone in the toilet. You'll probably do better calling the cafe or yelling at me in person. Leave a message at the beep.
"Zayn, charge your damn phone. I'll call the cafe next."
--
"La Bella Luna Cafe and Bakery, Rosie speaking, how may I help you?"
"Can you tell Zayn that Niall's calling?"
"Yeah, sure...Zayn, phone! He forgot to charge his battery again, didn't he?"
"His voicemail said something about a toilet?"
"That's only happened once, and it was like a year ago. Seriously, Zayn, phone!"
"If it's a bad time, I can call back later?"
"No, he's just flirting with the new pastry chef. Zayn Malik, don't you make me come over there or I will rip your balls off and sell them on E-Bay, swear to God I will!"
"That's a bit cruel, don't you think?"
"What's cruel is watching Sammy shoot him down and him not taking the hint that she's got a girlfriend."
"Thank you for the commentary on my love life, Rosie. I've got the extension. You can hang up now."
"Charge your damn phone, Malik."
"Has she hung up?"
"Yeah. Hi, Zayn Malik speaking, may I ask who this is?"
"My accent wasn't enough of a clue? It's Niall Horan."
"Niall, mate! How've you been?"
"Been better, been worse. How's the cafe?"
"Doing fantastically. We've got a new pastry chef; she's fantastic."
"I still can't believe you opened a cafe."
"I still can't believe I hired Rosie. She could give Simon Cowell a run for his money."
"I think that's why you hired her. Stockholm Syndrome."
"Yeah, maybe! So, what's up, Niall? You coming to London sometime soon? I'm pretty sure you haven't come to visit since moving out a couple years ago. Be cool to see you again, yeah?"
"Not my fault you stayed in London while the rest of us moved elsewhere."
"Yeah, how is everyone else?"
"Liam's Liam, Harry's working on his show, and I haven't talked to Louis yet."
"Yet? You're planning something."
"Yeah, maybe a little bit."
"So spill."
"Liam, Harry and I are going on a road trip reunion type thing. I was wondering if you'd be up for it?"
"Fuck, yeah, of course. I haven't seen the lads in ages. Oh! Olly and Cher both said to tell you hello next time we talked."
"How's Cher, by the way?"
"She's going to have twins."
"You're joking."
"Dead serious."
"Damn. After the triplets?"
"That's what I said."
"She's going to need a lot of luck if they're anything like the little monsters she's already got. And Olly?"
"Same old, same old. He keeps trying to get me to record with him."
"Well, you are both mentors on the X-Factor, Zayn. You're going to have to sing with him at some point."
"I'd rather sing with Ed."
"Haven't seen him recently?"
"Nah, he and Harry probably see more of each other nowadays."
"If that fucker's been seeing Ed and didn't tell me, I swear to God..."
"Same old Harry, then."
"Same old Harry."
"So when's this get-together road trip? And for how long?"
"It's in two weeks, for two weeks, and it starts at LAX."
"I'll see what I can do. Oh, shit, I've got to deal with a wedding cake order. Call you later?"
"Yeah, go deal with your cake. Save me a slice!"
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Your voicemail recording gets more and more soulless every time I hear it, Louis. I can't believe you used the fill-in-the-blank automatic one. It's Niall Horan, by the way. Listen. Me and the lads...we're planning a get together. We'll be going on a road trip, from LA to New York, and then we're heading over to Europe for a bit. We're leaving two weeks from today, and it's an open invitation--you can join us anytime. If you'd rather not, no hard feelings, but Louis... we all miss you. Think about it? Anyways, you know how to reach me. And--congratulations on Mary Poppins. You'll do great."
--
part ii: stories yet to unfold
don't forget, we've got unfinished business stories yet to unfold tales that must be retold and I regret not knowing when to put an end to all this madness
--
"You're fucking kidding me, right?"
Niall bit back a laugh at the complete disbelief in Zayn's voice. "Dead serious."
"Where did you even find this thing?" Zayn set down his bag and ran a hand down the side of the violently orange Volkswagen T2 minibus. "How'd you get permission to use it? I'd have thought it'd be in a museum somewhere."
"It's not the exact same," Niall admitted, leaning against the campervan. "But the rental agency had a bunch of different vans--really?" he cut off at Zayn's surprised look. "Did you expect me to buy a van for a two week trip? Really?"
Zayn laughed, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying, it's the kind of thing you've done in the past."
"You're confusing me with Harry again. Anyways. The rental agency had a bunch of different vans and when I saw this one I half-died laughing and then couldn't resist. The guy at the desk thought I was a nut. But it's big enough for all of us, with three rows of bench seats, and the front, and trunk space too. And it's got curtains."
"So basically you picked it for old time's sake?"
"A bit. Also because I might actually be able to shock Harry, and then we'll be even for the salt incident." Niall picked up Zayn's suitcase and swung it into the trunk beside his own. "Pick a seat, any seat."
Zayn chose a bench seat two rows behind the driver and set his bag down, noticing that Niall's backpack and a battered blue cooler were tucked underneath the first row of bench seats.
"So what time do Liam, Harry and Louis get in?"
"I don't think Louis' coming--" Niall started.
Zayn rolled his eyes. "Let me guess: Louis hasn't returned your calls, so you're assuming that was a 'no chance in hell, fuckers, I left you behind years ago' answer."
"Be nice, Zayn," Niall admonished--although he wasn't sure why Zayn still carried a grudge. He knew that Zayn and Louis had gotten into some pretty spectacular fights right before One Direction's breakup, but that had been years ago. "I'm sure he's just busy."
Zayn snorted. "We're all busy, and yet we made time to answer phone calls."
"Zayn."
"Niall. He made his choice clear, or don't you remember that?" Zayn folded his arms and gave Niall the look that meant that conversation topic was over.
"I remember. But, anyways. Liam and Harry met up in Seattle--Harry was doing a location shoot and Liam was on vacation with Danielle in Victoria--and their flight gets in at three, I think? So we should get them from baggage at two-twenty, since they don't have to clear customs like you did."
"So what do we do for four hours?"
"Want to grab lunch? I'm sure there's an In'N'Out somewhere around here."
"Sounds good to me."
Five hours later, when Niall got the phone call that Liam and Harry had landed, he grabbed Zayn by the sleeve, dragging him out of the novelty store that Zayn had found and insisted they enter. It only sold peanuts, albeit in various forms: real, fake, candied, printed on t-shirts and even stitched into children's toys.
Zayn, for whatever reason, had been absolutely enthralled. Niall had mostly tried not to be too creeped out.
They found Liam first, wrestling a bag off the luggage carousel, muttering darkly under his breath. Niall was taken aback; it wasn't like Liam to swear just over a suitcase.
Then they found Harry.
Suddenly, Liam's mood was explained. Harry was very clearly not happy with Liam; Niall vaguely wondered if Harry was still upset about everything that had gone down four years ago and shook it off. Harry could hold a grudge, but four years worth? Not even he could do that.
Except Harry's glares suggested otherwise, as did the way Liam continued to swear under his breath.
Niall started to worry. If Harry and Liam couldn't handle a four hour flight with each other, how were they going to deal with two weeks? This could possibly end in murder and he would honestly rather avoid that if at all possible.
But when Zayn pulled Harry into a hug and shot a wary smile at Liam, Niall could suddenly breathe again. He started up a rapid conversation about LA traffic and talked loudly about the peanut store Zayn had found, and that worked enough to calm everyone's nerves so they could pick up their things and find the van.
But once everyone had tossed their bags into the boot and claimed seats, they all stood awkwardly and stared at each other in the airport parking garage, no one sure what to say.
Niall examined each of his friends and noted the differences and similarities--and it was pretty easy to see what was different. They'd all changed in the four years since they'd last been together, and there was still tension between Liam, Harry, and Zayn over sides taken during the split. Overall though, Niall thought it rather felt like coming home.
Harry's hair was shorter now and he was wearing thick black-rimmed glasses; Zayn had expanded his tattoos into complete sleeves and wore his hair out of his quiff, flecked with grey--apparently it was a family trait, going grey early. Liam had grown his hair out into a style more reminiscent of their X-Factor days, and Niall had reverted back to brown hair.
Harry was holding a video camera, filming as much as possible: the van, their bags, the four of them. When Niall asked why, Harry just shrugged.
"I thought it'd be cool, since I'm pretty sure none of us have any home videos from the past, what, eight years? It was always random strangers with cameras following us around. It'll be fun."
Niall accepted that answer and grinned brightly "So, where to first?" No one responded for a long moment, the only sounds those of LA traffic and a bustling airport. "We could do the LA touristy stuff?"
"San Francisco," Liam said decisively. "I want to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Be nice to see the city without being mobbed by fans or surrounded by security."
"Speaking of," Zayn said, shuffling to lean against the van. "You and Harry are still pretty famous in the States. Is it safe for you to be wandering around sans security?"
Liam grinned and patted his hair. "I was considering going blond for awhile. Plus, as far as the public is concerned, I'm in Victoria, writing songs for my next album. If I wear sunglasses a lot, dye my hair, and hang out with you, no one's going to suspect it's me." He turned to Harry, who smiled widely.
"And I can wear hats, and my fan base is usually too 'cool' to ask for an autograph," Harry said, making air quotes with one hand, balancing his camera with the other. "Or at the very least, they won't believe it's me if I wear different clothes and insist I'm not Harry Styles. Plus there's actually a guy who looks like me and lives here in the US. If I fake an American accent, I'll get by."
"That's settled then! All aboard?" Niall said, bouncing. "Onward ho!"
The first three hours in the van were filled with chatter. Niall drove, Liam had snagged the front seat and Harry and Zayn were comfortably sprawled out in the back. They talked about where they'd been, what they'd done in the past four years, catching up on each other's lives. There was one moment where Niall was almost sure Harry and Zayn were going to yell at Liam, but it was thankfully averted by one of Liam's songs coming on the radio.
"Urg, no." Niall said, rolling his eyes. "Liam, I love you, but I don't fucking need to hear your music when I can hear your voice right now. Could you change it?"
"Yeah, sure," Liam spun the dial and they landed on a classical music station, some vaguely familiar but unrecognizable string quartet piece floating through the speakers. "Let's make it into a game," he suggested. "Veto on anything about us. Every time one of us comes up--so let's see, that'd be...a song from either Harry's or my albums, a song Niall helped write and/or produce, or...I dunno, something one of Zayn's contestants performed? Whatever. When one of us comes up, we've got to...do a dare? Tell a stupid story? Sing along?"
"I'm in," Niall said cheerfully. "Of course, I've got like three times as much as the rest of you, so I'll share with Zayn."
"So much love, Horan," Zayn grumbled, but his eyes were bright and he seemed agreeable enough. Harry was more hesitant--he seemed disinclined to agree with anything suggested by Liam--but after cajoling from Zayn and Niall, he agreed.
Liam spun the dial again and they listened to Rihanna's latest hit without conversation. They sat through an interview with one of the newest pop stars on the scene, and then the first single off of Harry's most recent album began playing.
"Dammit!" Harry swore, although he didn't set down his camera. He glared at either Liam or the radio; they were both in the same general area so it was difficult to tell.
"Zayn, keep score," Niall instructed gleefully. "Harry, one, everyone else, zero." Zayn dutifully made a note on his phone. "Okay, Harry. What'll it be--sing along, story, or dare?"
"That's a Top 40 station," Harry said, obviously confused and irritated enough to ignore Niall's question. "What's a song by Skyscraper Love doing on there?"
"It's a good song," Zayn countered. "I keep hearing it in the cafe, and my contestant wanted to cover it last season."
"But Top 40." Harry winced. "I finally got away from mainstream."
"Harry, I hate to break it to you, but you're an internationally famous popstar," Niall said dryly, signaling and smoothly merging lanes. "You're in Teen Wolf, which has managed to become one of the iconic TV shows of our generation. Sort of like FRIENDS was for the generation before us. It doesn't matter what genre of music you play, it's going to end up on a Top 40 station."
Harry opened his mouth to protest but Liam cut him off. "Sing along, story, or dare?"
"Story, I guess." Zayn gestured for Harry's camera and Harry handed it over, quickly explaining the zoom and record buttons. "So. You all know how Paul is the head of my security team now?"
Everyone nodded in acknowledgement as Liam turned the volume on the radio down.
"Anyways, I managed to convince Paul to let our band go buy some Nerf guns and a couple extra packs of ammo. And then we invaded Cher's set when we were both playing that festival a few months back? Olly was there too."
"Oh, I remember that!" Zayn cut in. "Olly kept telling me about it for weeks afterwards."
"Don't ruin the ending for those who haven't heard it yet," Harry snapped, but he was grinning. "So we invaded Cher's set, but she'd been warned of the attack in advance--Paul later admitted it was him, traitorous security man--and fought us off with a light-up Star Wars light saber."
The car was silent for a moment before Niall burst out laughing, and suddenly all of them were cracking up.
"And the triplets?" Liam managed through his laughter.
"Waiting in the wings in Clone Trooper helmets. We never stood a chance. Death by cute Storm Troopers."
Somehow, Harry's story broke the tension in the car. Niall wasn't entirely sure why they were fighting--he was pretty sure it was leftovers from when the band had split; Zayn had taken Harry's side, Liam Louis', and Niall had tried to remain impartial. It was nice to see that everyone was trying to mend the cracks now, even if it was four years too late.
They fell into easy conversation after that, retreating to safe topics that no one could argue with--old mutual friends, fun memories that hadn't yet been ruined, a new movie, and more song challenges.
A song Niall had written came up not fifteen minutes later and he was forced to sing along as he drove. That usually wouldn't be embarrassing, but considering that the song had been written for soprano and was about how a girl loved a boy--that made it a fair bit more awkward. Niall didn't let that get to him and simply belted along, his voice cracking as he tried to reach the higher notes.
Harry gleefully videotaped the whole thing before Zayn begged stories about Paul and his family off of Liam.
They switched drivers after three hours, when Niall began complaining of pins and needles in his legs. Harry took over driving, while Zayn moved to the front seat, taking over Harry's camera yet again. Niall and Liam gratefully swapped places, Niall in the bench seat immediately behind the passenger seat and Liam a row behind him.
Zayn leaned back in his seat, his head nearly in Niall's lap. "So no one knows anything about Louis anymore?" Niall asked absently.
Zayn gave Niall a look that spoke volumes. "He won't answer our phone calls, Nialler. I don't think he even knows about any of us anymore."
"He's on Broadway," Liam offered. They all pretended not to notice how Harry's hands tightened on the steering wheel and how he remained quiet on the subject. "I think he's playing Bert in Mary Poppins."
"Good for him," Harry said softly. "So maybe he was just too busy to come this week."
Liam opened his mouth as if to say something, but a glare from Zayn shut him up completely. The tension that had managed to vanish in the previous few hours was back with a vengeance.
"His loss," Zayn said airily, clearly aiming for nonchalant but failing. "If he decided he was too busy to come, well then. His problem."
Niall sighed. He hoped the tension cleared up soon, or else this roadtrip was just going to be uncomfortable. "Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Put the radio back on, will you?"
When the song Harry switched to was one of his own, he groaned and decided to tell a story.
--
part iii: it don't break even
they say bad things happen for a reason but no wise word's gonna stop the bleeding he's moved on while I'm still grieving cos when a heart breaks no it don't break even
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Louis? It's Harry. I know I'm probably the last person in the world you want to hear, but... just because you're mad at me, don't take it out on the other lads. They really miss you, and... I don't want to be the reason everything's all fucked up between you and them. I'll even split the road trip with you--we don't have to be on the same part. Just... think about it, okay? I love you. I always have, always will."
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Louis, you're being a bit of a dick. Whatever happened between you and Harry, it's messing with everyone else, and I'd like to have my friends back. Just because you and Harry had a thing that didn't work out doesn't mean you can't still be friends with the rest of us. In case you aren't aware, that wasn't a divorce and Harry didn't get custody of us. Seriously. Call us or I'll track you down at your little Broadway show and explain to you firsthand. Just because you're pissed at Harry doesn't mean you should take it out on the rest of us. Zayn Malik, by the way. In case you couldn't tell."
--
You know who it is. Leave a message at the beep.
"Niall...it's Louis. Um. Could you tell Zayn and Harry to fuck off? I'm not going on this stupid road trip, and I'd really appreciate never hearing from them ever again."
--
You've reached Louis Tomlinson's phone. He's unavailable to take your message at the moment. If you'd like to leave a callback number, press 1. If you'd like to leave a message, press 2.
"Niall Horan speaking. Oh, look, you're actually alive. We weren't sure. I'll tell Zayn and Harry to stop but, Jesus Christ, Louis. Grow up. The rest of us did. We're not teenagers anymore. Stop acting like we are."
--
part iv: put all the past behind me
going on my way packing up today i can't live a life with this way of thinking cause I know what's right i’m gonna leave tonight and put all the past behind me
--
"Hey, pull over," Zayn said suddenly. Harry blinked in surprise but obliged. From the back, Liam made a questioning noise, pulling off his headphones.
"If you need a bathroom break, we just passed a rest stop. You don't have to pee on the side of the road--" Harry began.
"No. Although, speaking of. Yeah, can we go back there? Like. Soon?" Harry started to pull back into the lane in order to turn around but Zayn stopped him. "Not now. But. Just look--doesn't this place look familiar to you?"
Harry turned and broke out in a wide grin. "Yeah!"
"Wuzgoinon?" Niall slurred from his seat, his accent thickened with sleep. "Whwesto?"
"Focus on waking up, Niall," Liam said gently. "Although I do agree with him. Where are we and what's going on?"
"No' wha I ask," Niall mumbled and struggled into an upright position, gathering his blanket around him. "Ho' long was I sleepin'?"
"You've been out for about an hour," Harry said. "You passed like ten minutes after we switched drivers. Even Zayn doesn't fall asleep that fast."
"I take offense at that!" Zayn protested.
"It's not my fault! I was up since five this morning! I couldn't sleep!" Niall defended.
"You're telling me you got nervous about a road trip?"
"You try driving for eight hours straight and see how awake you are!"
Liam sighed loudly, interrupting their bickering. "Harry, where are we?"
"We're at the beach where we filmed What Makes You Beautiful!" Harry said gleefully, forgetting to be mad at Liam. "Remember how fucking freezing the water was?" he asked as they scrambled out of the van.
"Jesus yes," Niall mumbled, finally regaining something resembling consciousness and barely managing not to trip as they picked their way down the slope. "Thought my nuts were going to fall off."
"I mostly remember being embarrassed," Liam admitted. "It was weird, singing to the cameras."
"And the cameramen!" Zayn added. "They definitely didn't make things easier."
"I'm pretty sure Paul paid them to do that," Niall said. Everyone stopped as they considered the implications of that.
"But the eyebrows," Liam said, in a pained tone. "I was half certain Camera A was going to kidnap one of us and do scary painful things."
"I was more scared of being molested, but okay," Harry said. "But Paul? Are we sure it wasn't Simon?"
"Or Paul on orders from Simon?" Zayn shrugged and reached for his lighter, flicking it open and closed.
"Probably true," Harry said, still filming the beach. "Hey, anyone want to reenact a few scenes? Make an 'Eight Years After' remake video?"
"We're missing Louis," Zayn said quietly, saying what no one else wanted to. "It'll be a bit difficult. And the girls, too."
"Spoilsports, all of you. We'll make a better one," Harry insisted, pointedly ignoring the comment about Louis. "Can we have a bonfire, at least?"
Everyone agreed to that.
"Okay, seriously, Niall. What even are we doing here? Like. Really," Zayn asked, tossing a log onto their makeshift bonfire. The fire itself was actually pretty small but it was bright, casting a circle of light onto the beach. The sun had just begun to set, a half-circle on the horizon. "Because I really don't buy into that whole 'just catching up' deal."
Niall shrugged. "I was getting--I can't think of a good word, but--itchy, in LA. I mean, we did this whole... everything together for four years, and then nothing at all. I know we'll never go back to how we were, but. I missed you. Is that a valid reason?"
"Sort of like the bungalow, yeah?" Harry said. He stared into the fire, his camera forgotten on the log beside him. "We all grounded each other, and you've got to admit, none of us have been particularly grounded recently."
"We'll, we're here, we've got two weeks..." Liam smiled and leaned back onto his elbows, grinning wider when Harry offered a half-smile of his own. "We can try to be friends again, can't we?"
"Cheers to that," Zayn said, finally relaxing into a real smile. "So if we're doing this to reconnect and forget about the outside world, I guess we should have a no phones rule?"
Harry hummed agreement and everyone switched off their phones.
Niall sat up. "Okay, before we go any further, let's just get everything out in the open so we don't have to deal with anyone pushing anyone else off cliffs." He punctuated this with a glare at Zayn.
"That was one time, it was an accident, and the cliff wasn't even a meter tall! He didn't even get a bruise!"
"I feel like I missed something," Liam said. Harry glared at Liam but nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you did," Niall said brightly, while Zayn grumbled.
"There was a company picnic and I might have gotten into a disagreement with Olly. He's fine!" Zayn hastened to assure everyone else. "It was more of a friendly shove, anyways. I forgot there was a cliff and Olly fell. S'why there's not any more Syco company picnics where Olly and I are both invited."
"Okay then," Harry said, blinking. "What did you mean about getting everything out in the open?"
"I mean, I'm not spending two weeks in a van while you send dagger glares at Liam because someone will end up dead, and it will not be me," Niall said bluntly. "And Zayn, just because you're being more subtle doesn't mean I don't notice it."
Zayn and Harry both tried to argue but were promptly shut up by an earsplitting whistle from Liam. "Just let Niall talk. If you remember, he's what held us together that last year. Show some respect."
"See, that's exactly why--" Harry began, and Niall cuffed him upside the head.
"Alright, Harry, you're up first. Why, exactly, are you not talking to Liam?"
Harry folded his arms and slouched into a sulk. "You know why."
"No, I don't, otherwise I wouldn't be asking," Niall informed him. "Try again."
"He's still friends with Louis."
Liam rolled his eyes. "Actually, I'm not. He stopped answering my calls three years ago. I've sent him birthday cards and they've all been returned unopened--just like someone else I could name?" he glared at Harry, and it was truly an odd look to see on Liam's face, considering Liam rarely ever glared.
Harry at least had the grace to look embarrassed.
"Okay, Zayn, air your grievance."
"'Air your grievance'?" Zayn said, raising an eyebrow.
Niall blushed. "Been watching period dramas with Annab--never mind. It's embarrassing. What's your problem?"
"Same as Harry."
Niall gave Zayn a skeptical look. "Did I miss something between you and Louis?"
"What?"
"Harry's pissed because Liam sided with his ex-boyfriend in their split. As far as I know, you never dated Louis and therefore have no right to pull the righteous anger card. Stop it. Liam, you're up."
"I'm not mad at anyone." Harry scoffed at Liam's statement. "No, really, I'm not!" Liam shrugged. "I'm annoyed, sure, especially because everyone seems to be mad at me and I don't know why and it's a little frustrating, but I'm not mad at anyone."
Niall nodded in satisfaction. "Okay, my turn. I'm pissed that you're all acting like five year olds, because we're all in our twenties and we're perfectly capable of being friends with our friends."
"Who said we were friends?" Harry countered.
"Um, me." The look on Niall's face dared anyone to argue with him. "We are going to go on this roadtrip, and we're going to have fun and we're all going to get along, damnit. Now are we all going to shake hands and get along or am I going to have to dig my ukulele out of the boot so I can sing Hakuna Matata over and over until you all get it?"
Harry and Liam shook hands.
They stayed for an hour, singing along to songs Niall played on his guitar, tossing rocks and bits of kindling into the fire until it finally died out.
"I'll drive," Zayn offered when they returned to the van, and took the keys from Niall. "I want to see how this thing handles." Niall raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot until Zayn blushed. "Okay, fine. Can we have a bathroom stop first?"