you're all i want

xxiv

warning: brief mention of self-harm

june 2, 2015. wales.

after two long months of the break without seeing each other, louis and niall arrive in cardiff within a half hour of each other. liam had flown in a day early and harry had arrived a few hours prior, just to make sure he and louis weren't seen together at the airport. since louis and niall were arriving so closely, modest! arranged for them to travel to their hotel in the same car.

they had been scheduled to arrive a few days before the shows start to have some meetings and rehearsals to get back into the swing of things.

louis has been looking forward to this very much. he has missed niall quite a bit. he has always had this infectious happiness and a way to keep people smiling. they had spoken during the break quite often, but that doesn't compare to actually being with niall.

as much as louis loves being home with his family and having some time off, he has become so accustomed to traveling so often, he always finds himself itching to get back on the road. tour life is difficult and exhausting, but there is little louis love more than seeing how much the band means to so many fans all around the world. he loves creating music with his best mates to share to so many people. to louis, the best part of the job is being able to share the music he creates and watching thousands of fans scream the lyrics back at him. there is so much passion and emotion during each tour show, that louis can never get enough of. there are so many things louis loves about being on tour without even mentioning the best part, being with harry again. for weeks now, louis has been counting down the days to getting back on tour again and he is so happy it is finally here again.

when louis hears niall's loud irish accent calling out to him in the airport, he can't help the smile that appears on his face. he pulls niall into a hug and claps him on the back.

"tommo, how are you doing, lad?" niall excitedly says as they head out to their car with the security guard that has met them at the airport.

"good, good. i spent most of the time in donny with my mum, which was good. still, it got boring after a while. proper excited to be back," louis explains.

"so am i," niall agrees. "i did quite a bit of writing and got to spend a lot of time with little theo, but i missed the fans and the rest of you lads."

they reach the exit doors of the airport and both take a deep breath, hoping that there aren't a hundred fans and paps waiting for them. thankfully, there are only a few fans, who both niall and louis are thrilled to see. they are both exhausted and want to get to their hotel as soon as possible, so avoiding getting mobbed is a good thing for them, but they will never object to taking a few pictures with the fans.

after a few photos and autographs, they get to their car with little trouble and start their short drive to the hotel. niall tells louis about his nights at the pub with all of his childhood friends. niall describes one night they had, where he had gotten so drunk, his mum needed to pick him up from the pub to get him home like she did when he was younger, and once he was home, he tried writing a few lyrics before going to sleep. the next morning he woke up with a massive hangover and just about the worst song ever written.

louis appreciates hearing niall's stories. niall is always one up for a laugh, which makes him have the craziest and funniest stories to tell. niall is also one of the few people who don't treat louis like he's weak. louis knows that liam and his mum are just concerned and mean well and harry will always worry anyway, but niall has always treated louis like just another lad. he's made it clear that he's willing to help louis through anything, but never coddles him, which louis is so thankful for. it's relieving to have some time without people treating louis like he's fragile.