you are half of me (and I am all for you) - larry stylinson

one

Louis' Bahama blue 1975 Volkswagen bus was his pride and joy. Her name was Patricia, or Patty for short, and she was his baby.

He never used to think of himself as a car guy, yet here he was. He and Patricia had been through a lot: from scouring junkyards for pieces to fix her up when she was at her lowest, to taking her out west one summer to follow his rock-climbing dreams, and so many other memories in between these lows and highs. Louis could wax poetic about her, but he refrained.

Niall always told him it was weird to be obsessed with a "stupid" van. Liam was too kind to call him out for his obsession at making sure she was up to date on all of the newest technologies and replacements, but Louis knew he was thinking the same thing. Yet whenever Louis fussed over her and earned Harry's resulting fond smile, it was worth it.

"A little more to the left, please," Louis requested, half his body under the van. Harry was squatting beside him with a flashlight in his hands, helping Louis replace a small part beside the engine. It was tedious work, but so necessary. Louis had never cared more for a vehicle in his entire life.

"That good?"

"Yes, perfect. Thanks, man. Almost finished."

By the time the part was in place, Louis' hands were covered in grease and he was sweating from working hard in the hot summer heat. It was evening, so the temperature was finally cooling down, but there wasn't a breeze in the garage.

When he finally finished, his old t-shirt was soaked through and his palms were sweaty when Harry helped him up. He lifted his shirt to wipe off his face and thanked his best friend again for helping him.

"Everything good?" Harry asked, eyes catching on Louis' exposed abdomen before flicking back up to his face.

"Yeah, she's all ready now. Just did an oil change yesterday, too, so she should be all good for tour. Baby's gonna get to see the whole country."

Okay, so maybe the way he anthropomorphized his van was a little weird.

"Yeah, and so are we," Harry said, smiling. It was a soft smile, one that Louis enjoyed very much. "The whole band, I mean," he corrected awkwardly. "One Direction."

He tucked a curl behind his ear and kept watching Louis, even though there was nothing to see.

"What is it?" Louis asked, grabbing his Nalgene and feeling the condensation on the cool plastic wet his palms. He opened the lid and took a few big sips, gazing appreciatively at his van. They were about to embark on a journey of a lifetime and Patricia would be the one to take them there.

"Nothing," Harry said, a bit too rushed. He looked away from Louis and grabbed his own water bottle, backing away. He tripped over his own feet, banging into the metal cabinet with a loud clang, but it was such an ordinary happening that Louis ignored it politely so he wouldn't embarrass him. "Let's start loading her."

More than lucky to have Harry as his best friend, Louis took a moment to appreciate the fact that they had been friends for five years now and nothing could ever separate them. They met their freshman year of college and immediately hit it off, spending each summer together because they didn't want to be apart. They met Niall and Liam along the way, and that was how they started a band together.

Now they were staring down the start of the biggest summer of their lives. Just four guys from a small town in Georgia, they were about to go on their first cross-country tour, performing their music to their fans across the USA.

He and Harry started loading the van with everything they would need for the next three months. They wrangled Niall and Liam in to help them, but it still took at least an hour, due to the limited space Patricia offered.