Archive of Our Own ^beta

There is a slight splash of water hitting Louis in the face. He grimaces, spitting it out over the railing of the tiny little boat his manager has just ordered him to get on before he grimaces once more, the salty taste not at all what he had in mind right now.

“Are we there yet?” he snaps, and looks to both his manager and the captain of the boat (if it’s called a captain when it’s such a little boat like this one, Louis isn’t sure and since he isn’t addressing the person he won’t bother to find out right now.)

“Almost.” His manager responds, and she goes back to her phone straight afterwards. Louis sighs. Niall and the rest of the guys in his band are on the other boat with the rest of the tourists, the bigger, probably much more comfortable boat that takes everyone to the island, but of course Louis is on this small one that will probably take him to an early grave on the bottom of the sea. Alone in the middle of the ocean with only Eleanor and someone that might be a captain. It doesn’t feel very good. Louis is starting to regret being a solo act, thinking that if he was a proper band member with not only a band behind him, he wouldn’t have to be alone. He guesses it’s a bit too late to start rethinking his career right now though.

“Remind me again why I’m here?” Louis asks, and sighs as he looks out over the water. He can’t see the island yet, but he hopes it will soon be visible. Pictures does tell that the place must be huge, and considering what’s on this island it must be.

“You know why.” Eleanor gives him a look as if she is talking to a very small child who doesn’t know why he is getting told off for being in the cookie jar. “There wasn’t great security on the boat, we couldn’t risk that one. And therefor here we are.”

Louis rolls his eyes, fixing his snapback and looks over the water again.

“I don’t feel very safe going to an island that holds real dinosaurs, if they can’t even protect me on a boat filled with humans.” He snorts and then he forgets all about being pissy when he sees it, finally.

“Here we are!” The might-be-captain says, his accent clear as he speaks. “Welcome to Jurassic World!”

**

Louis has to wait on the boat for a good few minutes until a few guards comes along with Alberto, Niall and the rest of the gang.

“Hey there Tommo!” Niall cheers, looking like maybe he had a drink or something on the boat. Louis is jealous. He could kill for a drink, or a smoke right now, or really just to get off this boat. He is torn between wanting to explore this island and just going to his hotel room and crash for a few hours until he feels the ground stop rocking beneath him. He probably should have something to eat, it’s past lunch time, but it’s not really tempting to eat after this boat ride. “How was the trip?”

Louis flips him off in response, and then he reaches for Alberto’s hand as he helps him out of the boat.

“We have your bags.” He says, and Louis sighs, very relieved.

“Thank god for that.”

“Mr. Tomlinson?”

Louis looks up as a classy looking lady comes strolling towards him, also clutching a phone in a perfectly pedicured hand, very much like his manager. They will probably get along just great.

“Yeah, that’s my name.” Louis says with one of his famous winks, and the lady nods.

“Welcome to Jurassic World. I am the executive director and I will be the one to show you around. You can call me Claire. We must say, we are very pleased that you have chosen to shoot your new music video right here.” She says, and her smile is slightly bigger than what must be comfortable for a long time. Louis nods.

“Well, pleasure’s all mine. I mean it wasn’t my idea but…”

“We should go to the hotel.” Eleanor says, interrupting him as if she thinks he will tell some well-kept secret if he keeps talking. “Louis needs to freshen up and see the wardrobe for the shoot before we go to the actual location, isn’t that so?”

Louis nods.

“Yes, that’s true. Alberto?”

“I’ll come with.” Alberto nods, and he takes a place next to Louis in a car driven there for them, as Niall and the band get in the other car.

They drive through the park to the hotel area, Louis looking at all the strange plants and remembers how he dreamed about going here ten years ago, and as he is finally here. Not for what he thought he would be here for as a 14 year old, but he is here.

“Welcome Mir. Tomlinson.” The receptionist at the hotel greets them as they collect their keys. “Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you, darling.” Louis says, and as they walk to the elevator, Alberto chuckles.

“Calling everyone darling will kill someone one day, you know.”

Louis hums, and doesn’t respond. It’s his thing.

“Do you think this is a good idea?” He asks Alberto before they part outside their hotel room. Alberto nods.

“It’s exciting. New. No one has ever done it before. Yes, I think it’s a great idea.”

Louis nods.

He hopes so too.

**

The two seconds of closing his eyes after a shower turns into a two hour nap, and as Niall wakes him up with loud knocks on the door, Louis feels disoriented and even sleepier than before. Apparently he looks like it too, because Niall stares at him as he opens the door.

“Jeez, are you sick?”

“No, just tired.” Louis snaps. “Did you want anything?”

Niall backs away, laughing with hands in the air.

“Woah, calm down Tommo, don’t shoot the messenger, just here to tell you there is someone waiting for you by the name of Eleanor who says you have a dinner meeting with her and the music video producer guys right now. So you should, you know, probably dress up.”

He looks at the plain white t-shirt Louis has on over his black boxers. Louis sighs.

“Tell her I’ll be there in 15.”

“Better make it 5!” Niall shouts, and he is already off as Louis closes the door.

Louis settles on just pulling on black jeans, his vans and a different white t-shirt that doesn’t look slept in and hides his mess of a hair under a beanie as he heads downstairs to the restaurant. Eleanor is sitting at a table next to a buff guy, and she looks very grumpy.

“You’re late.” She greets him. Louis fires off a charming smile.

“I’m sorry love. But I’m here, right?”

“I want you to meet Liam.” Eleanor says, brushing off Louis’ apology as if it was nothing. “He is the producer, and he’s got some great ideas for your video.”

“Louis Tomlinson.” Liam says with a smile, shaking Louis’ hand. “I must say it’s an honour to finally get to work with you. Ever since your first single I’ve told myself that, that guy, he is someone you want to work with, Payne. And finally, here we are, aren’t we?”

There are a lot of words coming out of that mouth and Louis hopes he isn’t always this chatty, as he sits down and reaches for the menu.

“Uhm… yeah, that sounds great.” He says, giving Liam a smile but then focusing more on the dishes he can order. Everything has some weird dinosaur name and Louis wonders if it’s actual dinosaur meat in them, hoping it isn’t, but wondering if maybe he should go for the vegetarian dishes just to be safe. “I am looking forward to see what kind of plans you have.”

“We’re gonna get close.” Liam says, eyes sparkling as he talks about the video. Louis likes his enthusiasm. Not as much as he likes the wine they serve though. He drinks a whole glass before he even respond.

“Close to..”

“The dinosaurs of course!” Liam laughs, as if Louis is very silly. Louis grimaces into his glass. “We have a proper, real expert to get you around the paddocks and it’s going to be amazing. No one has ever done this before and we’re going to be breaking all the records.”

“It will be safe though right?” Louis asks. “Because I don’t want to end up…”

“Of course it’s safe.” Eleanor interrupts. “You don’t think I would put you in a place that means danger for you, right?”

Louis shakes his head. He guesses not.

“Nah, because you know, where would you get your money from if I got eaten?” Louis asks and Eleanor gives him a look that tells him to quit joking about this.

“Anyway.” Liam cuts in. “And about the clothes…”

**

They start early the next day. Louis spent the night sleeping and is actually feeling energetic as he gets dressed, as casually as he thinks he can for a trip through a dinosaur park. His whole body tingles at the thought of where he is going, and he isn’t really sure if it’s nerves or excitement.

“The one we are looking for is out by this paddock.” Liam explains as he sits next to Louis in their car. “Just gonna park right here and then we will get out. There won’t be any people here right now, it’s closed off to the public for the day.”

“Lovely.” Louis says, and as he steps out he hears the sound, the sound of an animal that can’t be anything but a dinosaur. He hears Niall and the boys in the background, them letting out cheers. The excitement must be seen on his face because Liam smiles.

“It’s cool, right? It’s going to be great. Ah, there’s Harry. Harry!”

He waves to a really tall man with long, curly hair, who looks a bit confused until he realises who it is.

“Payne!” he shouts, running to meet them and hugging Liam as soon as he’s there. “There you are!”

“Here I am!” Liam laughs, and they hug and chit chat for a moment before Louis clears his throat. “Oh yes, meet Louis…”

“I know who you are.” Harry grins, shaking Louis’ hand. “Loved your latest album.”

“Really?” Louis asks, because even if he knows that you shouldn’t judge a person’s music taste by their looks, Harry really doesn’t look like anyone who would appreciate his pop tunes, he looks more of those hipster folks that Louis always seems to get nasty comments from. Harry nods, though, grinning widely.

“Yeah, it was great. Oh, and you’re here to meet my boss aren’t ya?”

Liam nods.

“Yep, that we are.”

“Mr. Grimshaw!” Harry calls out, waving as a man who surprisingly might even be taller than Harry is, emerges from the plants as if he had been invisible until now. He’s dressed in loose pants, a jacket that looks like he is a cowboy and a hat that only helps with that look. Louis isn’t really sure how to react to him.

“This is Nicholas Grimshaw.” Harry says, proudly smiling as if he alone, and only he, is responsible for this tall bloke. “He is the proper expert, isn’t he? Knows everything there is to know about these animals.”

“Most of it. And Harry, quit the act, you always call me Nick and others should too.” Nick reaches out a hand to shake Louis’ hand. “Yeah, I’m Nick. Hiya.”

“Pleasure.” Louis says, and Nick arches an eyebrow.

“You know, this is usually when people tell their name.”

Louis stares just at him for a moment, and he can hear Niall snorting in the background but he doesn’t really give him the pleasure of reacting to it.

“You don’t know me?” He asks, it slips out before he can even stop himself and he knows his mother would absolutely have his head if she could hear him right now, but he doesn’t really care. This must be a first ever that anyone’s asked about his name, at least when he comes to places like this, where he is for a job. There’s just something he has gotten used to these last few years, after number 1s, millions of albums sold and to be played on all the music channels. “I’m Louis Tomlinson.”

“Nice.” Nick says, and he says it as if he doesn’t even recognize the name as he hears it, which annoys Louis even more.

“I’m… Louis Tomlinson.” Louis repeats. “You know, the singer? I sang…”

“Don’t really listen to a lot that’s on the radio, pet.” Nick says, and then he turns to Harry as Louis feels his face redden and Niall seems as if he is pretty much close to laughing his lungs out.

“Well… I haven’t heard about you either!” Louis says, not sure why he feels the need for a comeback but it’s something just the way he is acting to the way he is dressed that makes him feel like he can never, ever have the last word. Never. Nick lets out a soft chuckle.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect you to either.” He says, and his whole voice tells Louis that Nick already doesn’t think much of him. “I don’t s’pose you read a lot huh, do you?”

Louis is about to actually punch him and it’s just in time Niall catches his arm.

“Steady.” He says with a soft voice in Louis’ ear. “We don’t need any bad press.”

Louis breathes through his nose, counting to ten as he tries to calm down. He knows Niall is right, he really doesn’t need bad headlines.

Nick doesn’t seem to notice that Louis is angry, then again Louis feels as if Nick really doesn’t notice anything but the dinosaurs around him. Louis turns to Niall.

“I’m calm, you can let go of me now.”

“Good.” Niall hums, and then he walks back to the band, discussing if they think he could get close to a T Rex. Louis rolls his eyes.

“Wanna see some of the animals you’re supposed to work with?” Liam asks, walking over to Louis as he finished talking with Harry about something clearly very interesting. Louis nods.

“Yeah… yeah I guess so.” Louis agrees, because he is curious and that is more important right now than the fact that Nick Grimshaw is already annoying him. Liam smiles.

“Nick! Show us this place. We wanna see what we’re going to work with.”

Nick looks up, fixing his hat and nods.

“Yes, of course. Come on then, pet.”

“I’m not a pet.” Louis enlightens him. Nick doesn’t seem to listen.

“We let the kids go on a triceratops ride here.” Nick explains as he walks them through the tiny paddocks. “Like a petting zoo, kind of.”

Louis grimaces. It feels very wrong.

“And then there’s the shows.” He says, and Nick nods. Louis thinks there is a shadow over his face, but he isn’t sure if he is ignoring it.

“Yep.”

“Sounds a bit…” Louis searches for the word, and Nick huffs, interrupting him.

“Well, it’s the industry. Not that different for you isn’t it? Don’t you put on shows you probably wouldn’t do just to entertain the little ones?”

“Hey!” Louis says, a bit offended by his statement. “That’s not what all my audience is about, you know.”

Nick arches an eyebrow but he doesn’t say anything else, just keep leading Louis through the place. Louis isn’t sure where they lost the others, but it seems to be just him and Nick now as Liam and Harry took another turn with the other guys.

“How long have you been here?” Louis asks, because it’s quiet, too quiet, and he can’t really handle being this quiet. Nick looks at him.

“You don’t have to pretend to be interested.”

Louis stops. He stares at Nick.

“Why are you being like that? Maybe I am just trying to be polite, no need to be a fucking dick about it.”

“Please.” Nick rolls his eyes, and Louis is so much closer to strangle him by the second. “I don’t think you are. Popstar, right? Don’t you only care about selling records and dressing in the outfit that is out tomorrow or something like that? I doubt you’re interested in what I do here.”

“Well.” Louis hisses angrily, and they start walking again which causes Louis to have to keep up with Nick’s long legs, but he tries to not make it look like he is running. “Only because you care about fashion older than these dinosaurs, not all of us has to be like that. And maybe I am interested, even if I have no idea why because you seem to be a first class jerk and I…”

“There you are lads!” Niall emerges from behind a paddock just as Nick glares at Louis and Louis glares back, as if he could tell there was a fight coming or maybe he just finally caught up to them. “Looked everywhere for ya, and also Louis, El called and she wants you to head back soon, there are stylists coming in to see what you will wear tomorrow when we actually start.”

Louis can see Nick smirking next to him at the sound of outfits, but he ignores it.

“Okay, get the car.” He says instead, and turns to Nick to tell him a completely amazing last sentence, but Nick has already turned his attention to one of the larger triceratops and Louis’ falls short at that.

**

“So… Nick seems nice.” Niall says. Louis gives him a dark look. It’s morning and he is already in a bad mood because the tea just doesn’t taste like tea is supposed to taste, and he didn’t really sleep well either. He is also a bit nervous about this whole thing, music videos is his weakest point to all this music business and when his nerves act up, he gets even grumpier. He would never admit to actually being nervous though, that is not something he even talks about.

“What, he is!” Niall protests when he can see the look Louis gives him. Niall is drinking coffee, and apparently the coffee must be better than the tea considering that Niall isn’t in a bad mood. Louis thinks about going for coffee instead, but he is too lazy to actually get up from his chair right now so he sticks with his cup of tea anyway. “Knows a lot of things, and will make sure we’re safe and won’t get eaten when you shoot the video.”

Louis puts his cup down on the table, grimacing.

“We won’t get eaten. It’s small dinosaurs, veggie dinosaurs, right? We will be fine.”

Niall lets out a laugh.

“Yeah, of course Tommo, no need to be afraid. Anyway, even if they were to eat meat I think I would be safe, don’t they go for the star first, huh?” He winks, and Louis rolls his eyes.

“I’ll push you in front of the flesh eating dinosaurs, don’t worry.”

Niall pretends to look hurt, but he doesn’t have time to say anything before Liam shows up, carrying a pile of clothes so big you can barely see the top of his head.

“Louis!” Liam says, voice slightly muffled from all the fabric. “These are what I want you to try on for today.”

“All of that?” Louis arches an eyebrow. He isn’t at all unfamiliar with the concept of trying on a lot of different outfits for model shoots and videos, but this seems to be a lot more than normal.

Liam manages to locate a chair and he puts the clothes down on that one, wiping his forehead clean from sweat before he nods.

“Yes, all of that.” Liam starts holding up different articles of clothing in front of Louis; he sees tight jeans, big sweaters, fancy shirts he doesn’t usually wear and then proper cringy stuff that seems to be him trying too hard to be Indiana Jones. “I am a bit unsure exactly what we will like to see you in, you know, you can have an idea in your head but it’s not really alive until you see the artist wearing it, right? So we need to try them out, and then we’re going to see Nick and we will start the video shooting.”

Louis nods, even if he isn’t sure if he understood all of that information.

“Sure.” He says instead, because it seems to be the appropriate word to say in this situation.

“Do you have any outfits for me?” Niall asks curiously and Liam shakes his head.

“No, I figured you and the rest of the band can go in what clothes you feel comfortable in, unless it looks extremely out of place. I think it will be fine.”

Niall’s face lights up like the sun as he hears that and Louis gives him a disappointed and jealous look, because for once he would like to see Niall and the others dress up, and maybe he could make fun of them now and then and not just them making fun of him. Not that it always happen like that, usually he does like the outfits he is wearing, but then again there are performances on TV or commercials, like one perfume commercial, where he got dressed up in such a ridiculous outfit his friends and family didn’t stop laughing for days.

“Well, I guess breakfast is over.” Louis says, and Liam nods eagerly.

“You got that right!”

**

Since Nick showed them around yesterday, today isn’t as much exploring, more getting to work straight away, and Louis finds himself among a bunch of camera people, stylists and his band, and Nick standing at the side holding on to some smaller dinosaurs that Louis doesn’t know the name of, and he doesn’t really feel like asking Nick about it either since apparently he is crap at small talk.

“Louis!” Eleanor calls out, looking fed up with everything already as if it’s Louis fault that this is taking forever and that he is stalling when really, he isn’t. “That is Calvin Klein, try not to ruin them on the first day.”

“I didn’t do anything!” Louis defends himself because honestly, he was just standing here. Eleanor rolls her eyes but then she goes back to making calls, and instead Louis can actually focus on what Liam is telling him to do.

“Louis, I want you with Nick for this shoot, okay?” Liam tells him, and Louis sighs inwardly at the sound of that. “It’s for the second chorus of the song.”

“Get over here popstar.” Nick says, and Louis wants to flip him off, but as he is pretty sure that won’t be appreciated, he doesn’t.

“I’m here, dino boy.” He retorts instead, and walks over a bit carefully because well, Nick might have said that those dinosaurs don’t eat meat and they aren’t bigger than a dog, but Louis did see the teeth and he isn’t into trying out the theory that they won’t bite him when given the chance.

Nick arches an eyebrow.

“Dino boy?”

“I’m sorry.” Louis says, voice sweet and sarcastic. “Would fossil boy be more correct? Or just, you know, fossil? Because you’re old?”

Nick clenches his jaw.

“You know, when you have to explain your insults, it usually proves it isn’t that good of an insult.” He says, and Louis looks away, eyes dark.

“Are you ready?” Liam shouts, and Louis forces himself to step away from his annoyed self and be his usual charming self as he nods.

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go, take one!” Liam says and Louis crouches down, petting the dinosaurs carefully. He isn’t actually sure if this will look good in the video, but he hopes so.

They do four takes just with the dinosaurs, then Louis walks with Nick through some of the bigger plants and trees as if they are trying to find their way somewhere. Nick leads the way, trying to look as if it’s just the two of them and not a whole camera team following them, and after three hours of the same thing Louis is a bit impressed with the fact that Nick doesn’t look more bored.

“That wasn’t too bad.” He says when it’s lunch time, because he is one to be able to give compliments when someone has earned one, no matter how pissed he is. “I mean, for someone like you.”

Nick snorts and shakes his head with a little laugh.

“Cheers.” He says, lifting his water bottle to bump it against Louis’. “This is your life, then?”

“This is my life.” Louis says, and he looks out over the terrain, seeing some dinosaurs whose names he can’t remember for the moment. “My whole life.”

“Are you done being cozy?” Niall shouts and Louis goes bright red because Niall really needs to be quiet most of the time. Preferably all the time.

“Not being cozy!” He calls back, and Nick laughs.

“Looks cozy!” Harry adds, and Louis wonders when Nick’s friend became friends with his friends, and he wonders if the combination of Niall and Harry will be as bad as it already seems to be.

“Not being cozy!” Louis flips them off, shaking his head in frustration.

Nick laughs again.

“Would it be so bad to be cozy with me?” He winks, nudging his elbow in Louis’ side and Louis rolls his eyes.

“Down boy.”

“Yeah, you’re a bit too obnoxious to be cozy with anyway.” Nick says, standing up with a grin and Louis’ jaw drops.

“Hey.” He says, sounding a bit more offended than he had planned to. “You would be lucky to be cozy with me, Grimshaw. Don’t you dare.”

Nick doesn’t say anything, just runs off to the others and Louis grunts. He isn’t sure why that guy gets on his nerves, only that he does.

Maybe it will pass soon.

**

They are on the fourth day of filming when the worst storm Louis has ever experienced happens. There’s thunder and rain coming from nowhere, and Liam and the rest of the crew panics as they try to get the equipment safe from the water.

“Load the trucks.” Liam shouts. “We’re going back to the resort, cancel everything until the storm passes, we can’t film in this weather.”

Someone is trying to hold an umbrella over Louis, but it’s no use since it’s so windy, and instead Louis just gives up, accepting the fact that heavy rain is falling all over him.

“In the cars!” Liam shouts once more, his voice seems to be the only thing loud enough to be able to be heard over the sound of thunder and lightning. “Get in the cars everybody, we’re going back!”

“Are you with me, popstar?” Nick asks, and Louis looks to the side and tries to weigh his options against each other, but Nick’s car seems to be the closest and Louis is so ready to not be in the rain anymore.

“Fine.” He says, opening the door. “If you promise to drive safe.”

Nick laughs as they get inside, buckling up.

“Don’t worry love, I got you.”

“Not your love!” Louis reminds him again, even if their banter has turned into something Louis quite enjoys during the last few days.

(he wouldn’t admit it, but it has)

“Will this ruin your music video?” Nick asks as they wait for the trucks to drive out before them. Louis shrugs, then tries not to tense as a huge lightning bolt is seen over the dark sky, followed by a loud, cracking thunder.

“I bet people won’t be pleased because you know, delays costs money. But we can’t help the weather. This is why you should always shoot music videos in studios.” He mutters. He is pretty sure his management will still whine about it a lot though, as if it’s his fault.

“Studios sounds boring.” Nick says, driving down the muddy road. Rain is falling heavier by the second, and Louis lowkey worries that maybe they will soon have flooded roads. He forces himself to not think about possibilities of being stuck out here in the storm, and instead he looks at all the paddocks they pass, some bigger than others with electric fences everywhere.

"What kind of birds are those?" Louis asks, pointing up to the fence where he can see three black birds sitting.

"Crows." Nick comments. "And..."

He pauses, staring at the paddock for a moment as he slows the car down.

"Nick?" Louis asks, looking at Nick with confused eyes. "What..."

“That’s strange…” Nick mumbles, and Louis feels his heart beat faster.

“What is?” He asks, and when Nick isn’t responding right away he grabs his arm. “Nick, what’s strange?”

“Let go!” Nick says, but Louis has already tugged his arm hard enough and Nick loses control of the wheel, there is a screech of tires and then the sound of Louis crying out as they lose control of the car altogether, spinning around until they slam into a tree.

There’s a loud crash and Louis feels a pain where his belt is before they stop.

“Fuck.” Nick hisses and Louis’ heart is beating so fast he is surprised it isn’t jumping out of his body already. “Can you get out?”

Louis nods, forcing himself to not cry out of fear because he doesn’t want to give Nick a front view of his teary face. He struggles with the seatbelt, smoke rising from the car engine as he does. The windows are shattered, and it’s as if it’s not already bad enough when Louis hears the familiar sound of rain drops increasing again, even if he thought it was impossible.

He is about to comment on it when he hears a low growl.

“Nick…” He whispers, looking over to Nick who looks determined as he gets out of his seat.

“Okay, we have to get out. Get out of the car. Now. Be quiet, no sudden movements.”

It’s so many instructions that all seem to contradict each other and Louis isn’t sure how one gets out of a car quietly without sudden movements, but he does his best and falls face first into the mud when he is finally out.

“Crawl over to me.” He hears Nick mumbles from the other side, and then Nick reaches in for the shotgun. Louis lets out a little scared whimper, before he gets on his hands and knees, crawling over to Nick’s side and grabs his jacket as he is close enough.

“I…”

“Shhh…” Nick whispers, and then Louis hears it again.

There’s a growl, the sound of breathing, but that isn’t even the worse thing, because the worse thing is the sound of footsteps, big enough to make the ground tremble and the last of the broken glass of the window to fall down on the ground. Louis holds his breath, but it isn’t enough to stop himself from letting out a small, scared whimper.

Nick clasps a hand over his mouth, and at first Louis is even more freaked over that, but then grateful because there was no way he would be able to stay quiet by himself now.

The first thing he sees are two big legs, reptile skin, claws and it keeps going, the creature is huge and Louis doesn’t even see all of it as he tilts his head back. Not that he needs to, he knows what it is because nothing else is this big and walks on two legs in this park. He just isn’t sure why the T Rex is out. It keeps walking, moving over to look at the car but apparently, the way nothing is moving apart from a tire seems to not be interesting to it. Louis isn’t sure his heart has ever beaten this hard and fast before.

“Don’t move.” Nick mutters, voice only loud enough so that Louis can just hear him. “It will catch us if we move.”

The instruction is very clear and Louis knows that he is right, he has read about this before, but it doesn’t stop him from doing the exact opposite.

He breaks free from Nick’s arms, getting to his feet and starts to run.

“Louis!” Nick screams after him, quickly following him. The T Rex turns to them, letting out a loud screech before starting to run after them.

Louis isn’t sure where he is going, he just knows that he needs to get away, and he needs to do it now.

“Louis!” Nick calls after him again. “Louis!”

Louis looks back at him, just to see where he is and that’s when he sees how close the animal is, and he stumbles and falls, not even realizing what is happening until he rolls down a muddy path, body getting slapped by branches and rocks, and he can hear Nick going after him.

“Shit.” Louis whispers as he stops rolling around, his legs shaking. “Shit.”

Nick falls to his knees next to him.

“Louis, we have to get up. Get up.”

“I can’t.” Louis sobs, but then Nick’s arms snakes under him, and Louis feels himself being lift up into the air. He clings to Nick, arms around his neck.

“We’re gonna do a little jump, okay?” Nick mumbles. “Just a little one, we will be fine.”

“A little jump?” Louis asks. “Where will we…” His last words are drowned in his screams because Nick has already jumped, the small jump turning out to be a jump off a cliff down to the lake next to the waterfall.

It’s dark when Louis breaks the water surface and he isn’t sure when he passes out.

**

“Give it up for Louis Tomlinson!”

Louis walks out on stage, nodding to Niall with a grin as he grabs the microphone. The crowd is cheering, everyone is going wild and Louis can feel adrenaline pumping through his body, like it always does when he is on stage. This is what he is supposed to do, this is what he’s made for.

“Give it up for my amazing band!” Louis shouts, waving to Niall and the other guys who all do a little something on their instruments, the crowd cheering and clapping and stomping the feet. “I have one last song for you tonight guys, it’s my first ever single so please, if you still know this…” He pauses, chuckling and grinning as the crowd cheers even louder. “Please sing it with me.”

He hears the drums, the first soft chords starting, and the crowd is chanting his name.

“Louis! Louis! Louis!”

“Louis. Louis. Open your eyes, wake up.”

Louis coughs, there is salt water spilling over his lips and he coughs again, opening his eyes. Nick is crouching over him, looking worried but relieved as he sees that Louis is opening his eyes.

“Thank god.” He sighs, sitting back on the ground. “I thought you had died, I did not want to be responsible for killing a popstar.”

Louis coughs again, his whole body is aching and he feels dizzy as he looks up, noticing the cliff they must have jumped from. Even if he is on the ground now, it’s so high up there he isn’t sure he even understands that he jumped. Technically he didn’t, but anyway.

“I…” Louis coughs once more, his lungs are hurting with each breath. Nick gets up to his feet, reaching a hand out to help Louis up. “I’m sorry but we have to get going.”

There is something about the way Nick seems to unaffected by this whole situation that makes Louis want to be the same. He gets to his feet quickly, not wanting to come off as weak even if his knees and arms feel weak at the moment.

“I’m up.” He says, hoping his voice isn’t trembling. His clothes stick to his body like heavy glue, he tries to ignore it.

“Good, follow me.”

“Where are we?” Louis says, trying to whisper and sound threatening so Nick will tell him even if he can’t really get that threatening when he isn’t even sure what is happening. “Nick, where…”

“The Jura area.” Nick says, as if that is supposed to mean anything. He must see Louis’ confused face because he continues. “We have our brachesaurus here… triceratops, and…” He pauses, as if he doesn’t really want to keep going with this speech. Louis grabs his arm.

“What else?”

Nick bites his lip.

“Raptors.” He says, and Louis can feel the color disappear from his face.

“Raptors.” He whispers, trying to breathe. “Raptors.”

“You better not try to give them the I am a popstar-speech.” Nick warns him and walks quietly through the path of branches. “Because these girls won’t care about that. They just want to eat you.”

“Very funny.” Louis hisses and he would come up with a comeback if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s scared out of his fucking mind. “What is your plan here?”

“To get back.” Nick says, even if that doesn’t really explain a lot to him.

“We don’t know where we are!” Louis protests. Nick shakes his head.

“You don’t, popstar, but I do. So maybe you should keep quiet and just follow me.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Louis hisses, but then he thinks he hears a growl and a roar, and he jumps forward, making sure he is next to Nick.

There might be an amused smile dancing on Nick’s lips, but it’s quick so Louis doesn’t notice.

**

Louis isn’t sure how long they are walking, and if he is scared or exhausted or just plain tired, but as he stumbles and falls for the third time, Nick seems to notice that they need some rest. Both of them.

“There is a cave.” Nick says, pointing towards an opening that Louis would have never noticed if he was by himself. “Let’s stay there for a bit.”

They get inside, and Louis really tries to not fall as he follows Nick. Usually he wouldn’t dream of going into a place like this, and for a few seconds he wonders what can hide in there, but he is just too desperate right now.

It’s dark inside, but not too dark.

Louis is soaking wet and Nick doesn’t look any better. He is cold, he wonders if it’s because of shock or the water because he really didn’t think he could be cold in a place where he has been sweating like a pig for days.

“C-cold.” He says with a trembling voice before he can stop himself, and Nick looks over to him.

“Get your clothes off.” He says and Louis tenses up.

“What?” He snaps. The nerve of some people. Louis can’t believe Nick thinks this is actually what will happen here. “I am not fucking you!”

Nick rolls his eyes, a hand over his heart.

“Oh no, the pain. Don’t worry sweetheart, I’m not trying to fuck you, I am trying to help you. Get those wet clothes off and we will dry up faster.”

Louis hesitates, he still isn't sure this is what he should be doing. He tugs at his wet shirt and then his jaw drops as Nick gets undressed in a matter of seconds, clothes in a muddy pile on a rock next to the cave entrance as Louis tries so, so hard to not look at his cock. He fails miserably though, and he can tell by the way Nick smirks at him.

“Thought we said no fucking?”

“Shut up.” Louis mutters, and he takes off his shirt and his jeans, but leaves his boxers on because of multiple reasons, one being that he is suddenly shy, the other that he isn’t sure he wants to give Nick the pleasure of pointing out how he is obviously bigger than Louis, and also because even if Louis is really cold, there is a semi growing in his boxers that he really doesn’t want Nick to see. The last thing he need is to show Nick that he is attracted to him.

“There, it wasn’t that hard was it pet?” Nick has found some kind of sad excuse for a travel towel in his backpack and is now drying himself off, leaving the towel around his waist which Louis is thankful for.

“Shut up.” Louis says instead once more, frustration and anger radiating from his body now. “What the fuck happened there?”

“The electricity seems to be cut off. Must have happened in the storm.” Nick says as if this is no big deal at all, like he is talking about the reason Louis can’t get the microwave to work and not the fact that a bloody T-Rex just got out of its paddock, chasing them. “It doesn’t…”

“How can it happen?” Louis shrieks, and it’s as if all his panic that he has forced to not happen to him during the last hours is happening all at once. “This place is supposed to be safe. This place is supposed to…”

“Louis.” Nick warns, but Louis is shaking. He is cold and scared and he doesn’t even understand how his perfect music video ended with this.

“What about the others, will they get eaten? Will Niall and the…” He cuts off, bottom lip trembling as he thinks about it. “Nick, I can’t lose them!”

“Louis, you have to be quiet.” Nick mumbles but Louis can’t, he really can’t.

“Nick, I don’t want to die.” He says, voice still too loud, he knows this, but he can’t stop. “I don’t want them to die. I don’t want to die. I can’t die. I…”

He is cut off by Nick’s lips pressing against his, he lets out a humf sound as he realizes what is happening, and his eyes flutter close. He reaches for Nick, about to kiss back and meet Nick’s soft lips that tastes of salt water and mud, but as soon as he does, Nick pulls away.

“I’m sorry.” Nick whispers. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have kissed you, but you’re panicking and sometimes a kiss can help.”

“Help.” Louis whispers, and he isn’t sure how to react but then Nick is pulling away, so he doesn’t really need to react anyway. Nick turns his attention to their clothes, hanging them over tree branches just outside the cave and Louis crawls up into a corner behind one of the bigger rocks, wrapping his arms around his knees. Nick sits down next to him.

“It will be okay.” Nick whispers. “I promise. This is nothing.”

“Nothing?” Louis can’t help but let out a laugh. “We’re about to get eaten and you say it’s nothing. Nice.”

“We won’t get eaten.” Nick nods, nudging Louis’ shoulder. “I will make sure of it, okay? Besides, I don’t think they want to eat you anyway, you don’t look that delicious.”

Louis wants to punch him but there’s a sob coming out instead, and he hides his face against Nick’s shoulder. He’s exhausted, he doesn’t even know where he is or what time it is and he doesn’t know where anyone is.

“I don’t want to die.” He mumbles, and then he feels Nick wrap an arm around him.

“Don’t worry. I’m here.” Nick whispers.

And Louis isn’t sure why he feels so safe.

“We should get some rest, wait for the clothes to dry a little before we get going again.” Nick mumbles, and Louis nods, because even if he never thought he would be able to sleep in a place where there are big things that wants to eat you, he thinks his exhaustion will win over his scared brain.

“Well… if… what if…” He whispers, and Nick wraps an arm around him.

“They won’t find us here and we’re safe, okay? Promise. Get some rest, popstar. I got you.”

Louis nods. He isn’t sure how it’s so easy to fall asleep, or how his head find this comfortable place just in the crook of Nick’s neck, but when he falls asleep it’s curled up against Nick, thriving in the heat that is radiating from his body, and even if he is annoying, Louis is very pleased that he isn’t alone.

**

When Louis wakes up, his whole body hurts and he lets out a grunt before he can stop himself, sitting up and massaging his limbs. He notices Nick, dressed again, working on something from his backpack.

“Walkie talkies.” He explains as he sees Louis is up. “We can’t lose these, we can use them to communicate. We need to get back to see if they managed to contain the T Rex, or if it’s more animals out, and if they are okay.”

Louis feels cold, because he doesn’t want to think about the possibility of all his friends being in danger, or already dead. He reaches for his clothes instead, they are not exactly 100 % dry, but it’s at least better than yesterday and way better than being naked.

“There’s a control house just a few miles away from here, unless I’m mistaken.” Nick continues, as if he isn’t aware of Louis being uncomfortable and quiet. “We need to get there, it’s not the main control room but it will be enough to send out a message to everyone that we are there, and to see if the rest of the park is in danger.”

“Will this even work?” Louis asks, and Nick shrugs.

“It has to. We have no other choice. The control room is in another part of this area, and I am pretty sure there aren’t that many roads.” He looks to Louis from top to bottom, as if he is judging his outfit. “Those shoes, they are okay right? For walking and maybe climbing?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Louis says, trying to sound tougher than he feels. Nick nods and swings his backpack over his shoulder.

“Ready to go?”

“Ready when you are.” Louis breathes out, and then he follows Nick out of the cave.

The rain and thunder has stopped, but the ground is still soggy and Louis watches his step, not wanting to trip and fall.

“I don’t want you to react to this…” Nick mumbles, moving closer to Louis. “But there is a chance something is hunting us.”

Louis tense up.

“Hunting us?”

“I’m not sure.” Nick’s voice is still only a mere whisper and Louis has trouble hearing him. “But the raptors are particularly good at being sneaky when they hunt their prey, and since they are out here, we do have to be prepared of them coming after us.”

“How many are they?” Louis whispers, heart beating faster and he feels just as cold as he did yesterday, but for all other reasons. “Are they…”

“Five.” Nick informs him. “Young ones, though, so they haven’t fully mastered their hunting skills yet, or learn how to properly work together. Still deadly, though.”

“That’s lovely.” Louis’ voice is almost broken. “Just lovely.”

“Just stay close to me.” Nick says, and Louis is about to tell him that there is not really any other choice for him, when they hear a low growl.

Nick stops Louis. Louis is about to ask him what is wrong now, or just whimper because he knows something bad is happening, but there is no sound coming out.

“Don’t do that Pixie…” Nick mutters, and Louis huffs.

“Are you calling me Pixie now?”

“No. Her.” There is a growl again as Nick nods to the side, and then the sound of something calling out to some other thing with a high pitched growl and Louis doesn’t even want to know what that means.

“Raptors?” He asks and Nick grabs his arm.

“To the cliff, we’re gonna have to climb. Come on!”

Louis is pretty sure he hasn’t done this much running since school when he wanted to be on the footie team, but he has never run this fast either. He can hear the sound of something coming out from the bushes behind him, and he forces himself to not look back.

“Climb!” Nick yells as they reach the cliff side, and Louis lets out a frustrated, scared groan as he notices there isn’t much to hold on to.

He jumps up though, grabbing branches and rocks and praying they won’t pull out underneath him.

“There you go.” Nick praises him, and Louis looks back just to see where he is and wishes he hadn’t, because just below Nick and his own feet, he can see three raptors, big teeth glistening in the sun, trying to get them.

“Fuck.” Louis whimpers, doing everything in his power to get higher and he wonders if he will ever, ever get out of this alive.

Nick climbs up to his side, almost next to him as they reach the other half of the cliff wall.

“Louis listen, I really want to apologize.” Nick says, and Louis stares at him.

“Apologize?” He asks, voice shrieky and loud. “For what?”

There’s the sound of raptors and their teeth as they try to get Nick’s feet where they are dangling in the air. Nick climbs higher, following Louis.

“You know.” He pants. “For kissing you in the cave. It was really so dumb and I feel awful about it.”

“You don’t think we can find another time to apologize?!” Louis says and panic is flooding his voice. “Maybe not when there are creatures trying to eat us?!”

“Well… I just wanted you to know.” Nick says, and Louis is finally up over the cliff, and Nick isn’t far behind. “Because it was really stupid and I’m an idiot and I’m sorry.”

Louis takes a deep breath, taking a moment to just sit as he is finally not hanging on for life from a cliff wall. He takes another deep breath, running his fingers over his face and through his hair, and swallows.

“Listen.” He says, glancing over at Nick. “I appreciate your apology and I would love to discuss the art of consent with you, but maybe not right now. Okay?”

He meets Nick’s eyes, and Nick nods.

“Maybe not now.” He agrees.

“Maybe we should, like, run.” Louis says, and the roar from the raptors seems to tell Nick the same. Even if they are down the cliff and it doesn’t look like they will be able to climb up to them, Louis isn’t really ready to test that theory now.

“Yeah, let’s go, quick. It’s this way!”

**

They run until Louis can’t run anymore, and thankfully that seems to be the same for Nick. It’s getting dark, and Louis wonders if the days were always this short on this island, or if it’s just now it keeps getting darker and darker even if it must be early. Louis wouldn’t know, his phone isn’t working and he hasn’t had a wrist watch since forever.

“We might as well rest here.” Nick says, sighing as he looks around. “It’s further than I thought it would be, and I don’t want to end up running into anything we don’t want to find here.”

“But we can’t just rest here, there’s no cave or anything!” Louis protests, and Nick nods.

“I know. But there are trees. Let’s test your climbing skills again, huh?”

Nick grins and Louis flips him off, but he does what Nick does, walking over to the nearest tree that is much, much easier to climb than the cliff wall, and he feels so much safer as well considering there aren’t, for the moment anyway, anything chasing them.

“Best thing about these no-longer-extinct trees.” Nick says, as they find a branch big enough to seat both of them on without any risk of falling down. “They make great camp places.”

“Seems like you have experience with them.” Louis comments, making sure he is properly seated before he relaxes completely, his sore limbs thanking him for the well-earned rest. Nick nods.

“Yeah. I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time out here since this place opened. I mean, not like this but you know, in paddocks where I know it’s safe, just becoming one with nature and these animals. It makes it easier to understand and respect them, I think.”

Louis looks at Nick, not really sure what to say. There’s just so much about him that fascinates him, and he doesn’t like that it’s so easy to like him, because that wasn’t the plan at all. It’s just that whenever he opens his mouth, unless it’s to annoy Louis, he says something that just makes Louis wonder if he is real.

And now as the moonlight falls on his cheekbones and lights up his eyes, Louis feels a bit dizzy and wonders when he turned this sappy and if he is under some kind of spell, or maybe dreaming because he isn’t one to act like this around people.

“That…” He says, when he realizes he has basically just been staring at Nick for a good while without actually saying anything. “I… I mean I guess that makes sense.”

“Maybe you need to camp out with those fans of yours someday.” Nick teases, and Louis feels like himself again. “Y’know, learning to understand their ways and all that. Or maybe I should, to understand why anyone in their right mind would pay to see you.”

Louis tries to look offended, and opens his mouth to say something but Nick continues.

“I mean, at least I get paid to hang out with you, that makes it worth it. I should have asked for more money though, the work is harder than I thought.”

“Shut up!” Louis laughs, putting his hand over Nick’s mouth to actually shut him up. “That’s not true and you know it.”

Nick grins, Louis can feel it against his hand. His heart beat faster again.

“Mhmfjfhdg mahdjhf.” Nick says, and Louis is pretty sure he is insulting him again because his eyes crinkle, and Louis finds himself wanting to be even closer to him. He doesn’t move though, apart from removing his hand from Nick’s mouth so that he can actually speak.

“Really should have asked for more money.” Nick winks. Louis flips him off and then yawns.

“Are you sure it’s safe up here?”

“They don’t climb trees.” Nick promises and well, if anyone would know it’s him. “You’re safe here.”

Louis nods, and his heart beat a little faster. He looks at Nick again, feeling a faint blush spread on his cheeks.

“Good.” He mumbles, and then moves a little closer to Nick.

He is warm, and it’s nice, and Louis wonders if he feels cold against Nick or if his body feels warm to him as well.

“You know…” Louis says, and he rests his head on Nick’s shoulder. It feels so easy when Nick’s arms find their way around his waist, pulling him even closer. It’s like they have always done this, as if Louis met Nick years ago and not days ago, and Louis isn’t sure if it’s because of the situation they are in or just because there is something about Nick. “If I’m going to die…”

“We won’t die.” Nick interrupts, and Louis jabs him in the side with two fingers.

“Will you let me finish?” He asks, and Nick nods with a little hum.

“Fine, popstar.”

“Well, if I’m gonna die, I guess it’s pretty okay to die here next to you.” Louis says and glances over at Nick. Nick looks back at him, before he starts laughing.

“That was so lame.”

“Shut up.” Louis says, face reddening even if he can’t help grinning. “I’m trying to swoon you.”

“In a tree.” Nick says, still smirking. “Using really cheesy lines worthy of any American movie.”

“Don’t tell me it isn’t working.” Louis mumbles cheekily, and Nick pulls him closer.

“Maybe a little.” He says before their lips meet again.

Louis thinks he falls asleep somewhere between kisses, but he doesn’t really remember.

**

“Goooood morning!”

Louis groans as the sudden voice startles him. He blinks, opens his eyes and notices Nick staring at him with a smile way too big for this situation.

“Five more minutes.” He grunts, but Nick shakes his head.

“Nope, we have to get going. And also you need to see this.”

“See what?” Louis complains, but before he can even do anything Nick has pulled him up, and Louis yelps, worried he will lose his balance but he doesn’t. Nick pushes some big leaves out of the way.

“Look at this.” He mumbles, pointing to the horizon and Louis follows his gaze.

The sun is rising, just throwing enough light over the meadow like area, and a lake Louis didn’t see before. Dinosaurs of all sizes and shapes are walking towards the lake, and it looks peaceful and something worthy of the Lion King and Louis can’t help but keep staring.

“It’s…”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Nick whispers, and his arm find its way around Louis’ waist again and Louis can’t do anything but nod. “It’s really beautiful.”

Louis can’t even find the words, and he wishes he had a camera to capture this moment. Instead he needs to just remember it, and it worries him that he might forget all about it.

Nick carefully nudges him.

“Popstar, we have to get going. If we get an early start we will be at the control house soon, and we can finally get out of this place.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Sure.” Louis says, struggling to look away from the view in front of him. “Yeah, let’s go.”

Nick doesn’t stop smiling as they climb down again. Louis doesn’t either.

They only stop for a minute or so while Nick checks the map to make sure they are on the right course, and Louis looks around while he does, noticing the big fences in the distance.

“Is this the way?” He asks and Nick looks up, nodding a little. He looks strangely focused in a way he hasn’t before.

“Yes. We have to go over this field and we better hurry, this leaves us a very easy target.”

“I did not want to hear this.” Louis mutters, but as Nick puts the map back in his backpack, they start running again.

They reach the big fence, Nick standing still as he reaches for a rock, throwing it up against the electrical wires.

“No reaction.” He mutters, shaking his head. “Electricity is still cut off. We have to climb over, do you see that house? It’s over there. I…”

Louis freeze at the same time Nick does, hearing the sound he knows all too well from yesterday. He turns around, noticing four creatures making their way towards them. He backs against the fence.

“Why are you doing this girls…” Nick mutters, and then he quickly jumps up on the fence. “Okay, follow me.”

Louis quickly jumps off the ground, starting to climb the fence. Nick looks down behind them, the raptors closing in.

“Okay.” He says, and Louis looks down to notice the raptors jumping up as well, trying to bite at the fence that looks horrifyingly easy to bite through when there is no electricity. “I have to keep them busy. You have to go on, you see the control house.”

“What?” Louis asks, stopping as he is almost to the top, noticing Nick has stopped climbing. Nick looks up at him.

“In the control house, there are two buttons I need you to press, okay? Big red button for sending a signal to the others that we are here, and the other will hopefully restart the electricity so that they won’t make it through here.” Nick starts climbing again, so that he is on the top of the fence with Louis. The raptors sound furious under them, and Louis doesn’t even want to see the mess their teeth are making.

“But you can come with me!” Louis protests. “We can both go, don’t be daft Grimshaw!”

“No, if we both go we are an easier target if they make it through.” Nick explains, and if Louis wasn’t terrified and angry he would be impressed with how calm he can be even if he is this close to being eaten. “I will keep them busy. I will follow you as soon as I know it’s safe for you.”

“Nick…” Louis protests, but Nick shakes his head.

“I will be right behind you, okay?” Nick says, voice steady as he looks at Louis. Louis feels panic rising in his body.

“No. No don’t leave, I…”

“Louis, you have to go first, you have to push the button and I will be right behind you, okay?” Nick says, determined as he looks at Louis. “Both of us won’t make it through at the same time, you are smaller and quicker than I am and if you start the generator we can lock them in, okay? We need to contact the others, we need to know if everyone is safe and this is the only way.”

“I can’t.” Louis sobs, reaching for Nick’s shirt to pull him closer. “Nick, I can’t do it by myself.”

Nick leans in and kisses him softly.

“You can do this pet, okay?” He murmurs, lips still gently pressed against Louis’ lips. “I know you can, you go in there and I will follow as soon as you give me the all clear, okay? Be careful.”

Louis lets out a little sob once more, but he is determined as he nods now, grasping the walkie talkie that Nick gave him.

“Are you sure this works?” He asks, nodding to the walkies. “Will you hear me? If I call…”

“I will hear you.” Nick nods. “Now go. I will be right behind you.”

Louis nods, he wants to pull Nick with him but he knows he can’t.

“Okay.” He says, and then he starts climbing down the other side. Nick turns to the raptors.

“Hello girls.” He says, and Louis doesn’t hear anything else as he starts running.

**

The door to the control house opens before him as Louis wonders how it will work, but it seems to scan human prescence or it just opens, Louis doesn’t have time to think about the mechanics now.

“Nick, I’m in.” He says into the walkie instead, and there is a short silence before Nick’s voice comes through.

“Good, good. Do you see the panel? The buttons?”

Nick sounds as if he is running while talking to Louis and Louis forces himself to not think about that. He looks to the controls instead, noticing too many buttons to operate for one person.

“There are so many!” He says, not wanting to be this panicked. “Which one…”

“Big red.” Nick says, and his voice sounds far away. “The other says ‘restart’. You can…”

His voice cuts off.

“Nick?” Louis’ voice is loud.

“Go!” Nick yells and then the connection cuts off and Louis feels his panic reaching levels he didn’t even know it could reach.

“Nick.” He says again, and then go through the buttons to find the right ones. “Red, restart, red, restart…”

It feels like it takes forever until he finds them. He pushes both of them at the same time, and the sound blaring through as he push down on the red button causes him to drop the walkie and try to shield his ears.

He isn’t sure if he is imagining it as he hears Harry’s voice through the speaker.

“Nick, is that you?”

“It’s Louis.” Louis’ voice croaks. “Help.”

“Louis.” Harry sounds very relieved. “We have sent a chopper your way, it will be there in five minutes. Are you okay? Where is Nick?”

“I don’t know.” Louis sobs, and reaches for the walkie again. “Right behind me.”

“Stay put.” Harry says, and Louis sinks to the floor, body trembling.

He isn’t sure if it takes five minutes, or longer, or shorter as he hear the sound of a chopper. It seems to land on the roof, and Louis wonders how to get up there until he notices a staircase he didn’t see before.

“Nick, they are here.” He says into the walkie, waiting for a response. “Nick!”

As he opens the door, he notices the chopper along with three men from the park crew and Harry running towards him.

“Come on, get in.” Harry reaches for his arm, pulling Louis with him.

“We have to wait for Nick.” Louis cries out, and tries the walkie again. “Nick, where are you?”

“We have to go!” The guy flying the chopper yells, and Louis wants to punch him.

“We have to wait for Nick!”

“Rex incoming.” One of the other guys says, looking at a tablet. Louis looks up, and at the far end of the woods he sees the T Rex moving towards them.

“We have to wait for…”

“Louis, we have to go.” Harry says softly, and Louis wonders if he is imagining the tear rolling off his cheek. “Come on.”

“No.” Louis protests. “No, Nick is right behind me, he is right behind me, he…”

Strong arms grab him, and Louis kicks and tries to get free as they lift him up in the chopper.

“Sedate him.” Is the last thing he hears before a needle press against his arm, and he falls into a sleep that doesn’t feel like a sleep at all.

**

“It’s actually T Rex meat.” Nick says, pointing to the steak on Louis’ plate, which he has eaten more than half of already. “You like it?”

Louis stops, fork half way to his mouth.

“What?!” He asks, staring at Nick. “It’s…”

Nick starts laughing.

“Nah, popstar. Just messing with you. Just your normal cow, just the way you like it. But it could have been dino meat, right? It probably wouldn’t taste like beef though.”

“Idiot.” Louis mutters. “Why did I agree to let you sit here? Why aren’t you with Harry or someone that actually enjoy spending time with you?”

Nick chuckles.

“Because I like to annoy you, darling.”

“Not your darling.” Louis mutters, draining his wine glass in one go. “T Rex meat. You’re such a tosser.”

Nick grins at him.

“Maybe you should go veggie just to be safe here.”

“Louis?”

The voice is soft and Louis struggles to open his eyes.

“Nick?”

“No.” The voice seems sad. “It’s just me, Niall.”

“Where is Nick?” Louis sits up, and there is a headache slamming into him like a bulldozer. “Where is the walkie?”

“Here, but…” Niall looks sad, and Louis ignores it, reaching for the walkie.

“Nick? Nick?”

There is just silence speaking.

“Nick.” Louis tries again, and his eyes feel wet. “Come on, Nick.”

“He hasn’t come back.” Niall whispers. “No contact. They say, the raptors…”

“No.” Louis says. He stares at Niall. “He is fine. You just left without him. He will find his way back here.”

“Louis…” Niall tries, and Louis turns his back on him, still holding the walkie.

“Leave.”

He doesn’t hear Niall get up and leave, but he figures he does because when he glances over after a while, the side of the bed is empty and it’s just him in the room.

He stands up, surprised his legs even work and then grabs the walkie, sneaking outside the room. He seems to be in a hospital area, and he follows the hallways where he can hear voices.

“Three dead, around the T Rex paddock.” A voice that Louis doesn’t recognize says. “We will notify the families as soon as the phones work again.”

“Is all the electricity back up and running?” Another voice asks. Louis thinks it’s Claire, the woman he met the first day.

“Yeah. It all works again, and we have control of all the raptors.”

“Too bad about Nick.” Another voice says. “He was a great guy.”

“Nick is not dead.” Louis interrupts them. They all look up surprised as they see him, Claire giving him a pitying look.

“Louis…”

“No, he is not dead, he is just making his way back here because you idiots let him stay there.” Louis says forcefully. “I should sue you, all of you, for not waiting for him.”

“It’s protocol to…”

“Fuck your protocols.” Louis yells, slamming his hand in the desk closest to him, causing a bunch of papers to fly around the room. “He was there, he was right behind me and you left without him. He is out there and fighting for his life and you left him.”

“Louis…” One of the men, looking like a doctor more than a scientist or worker, stands up. “You need to calm down. Your body has been through a lot, you are dehydrated and you need rest…”

“I need Nick!” Louis says angrily. “Don’t fucking tell me to calm down. Don’t fucking try to…”

He feels strong arms grab him again, and he kicks and bites, trying to get free but as the familiar needle hits him again, he falls into the sleep he doesn’t want to fall into.

**

“Triceratops dung. Great for your hair. Here is a bag for you.” Nick says with a grin. Louis stares at him.

“That is absolutely gross, Grimshaw.”

“What?” Nick asks. “Hair product, all fairtrade and good for the environment, and it locks in moisture. You should try it.”

“You are an idiot.” Louis rolls his eyes. Nick grins, still grinning.

“Don’t say I never gave you anything.”

“You gave me a pile of shit, that’s amazing Grimshaw, really. I am impressed.”

“Well, you never know.” Nick winks. “It could be great for your hair and now, considering you so rudely won’t accept my gift, you will never know.”

Louis flips him off.

Harry is standing by the window as Louis wakes up again. He is tired of this headache.

“He will come back.” He says, and Harry turns around, surprised that Louis is up. Louis can tell he has been crying, probably cried a lot but he isn’t crying now.

“Louis…”

“You know him!” Louis protests. “You know he can do this. You know he can come back.”

Harry sits down next to him. Louis sits up as well, and then Harry pulls him into a hug.

“You liked him.”

“I like him.” Louis corrects him. “I don’t know why, but I like him. I just… it’s something about him. He is an idiot but I like him.”

Harry lets out a little sad laugh.

“That was Nick. He was always like this. He was probably one of the best men I have ever met.”

“He still is.” Louis says, staring at Harry with dark eyes. “Don’t you dare talk about him like he is dead. He is alive. He will come back. He promised he wouldn’t leave me.”

Harry looks sad.

Louis ignores it.

None of them say anything until Harry is called away on a meeting and Louis is left alone. He calls Nick’s name into the walkie, but there is no response.

**

They call Louis down for dinner, and Louis isn’t even sure what day it is. No one seems to know what to say to him, and Eleanor has pulled away completely, Louis thinks that maybe she is giving him space which he is grateful for. He isn’t sure where Liam is, and Harry and Niall seems to both try to decide what to say to Louis.

“You… are you hungry?” Niall finally says as they walk over to where Louis is sitting. Louis shrugs.

“No, not really.”

“Louis, you have to eat…” Harry whispers. “Nick wouldn’t want…”

“Stop!” Louis shouts. “Stop acting as if he is dead.” Tears stream down his face. “He will come back to me and you will all look like idiots for leaving him behind.”

“Please calm down Louis.” Niall says softly, and Louis forces himself to, because he doesn’t want to be forced to sleep again.

“I’m calm.” He mutters, and then lets out a sob. “I just miss him.”

Harry starts crying.

“I know, Louis. I do too. I wish I could help, I wish I could do something, I…”

“Well maybe you can start by giving me a drink.”

Louis would know that voice in every situation. He turns around, not sure if he dares to believe it. There is a figure standing in the doorway, and the whole dining room goes quiet.

“Nick.” Louis cries out, getting off the chair to jump into his arms. Nick looks ready to fall apart and he is covered in blood and mud and Louis doesn’t care, he really doesn’t care and thankfully Nick is able to hold him. “God, you’re here, you’re still here.”

“Didn’t think you would get rid of me that easily, huh?” Nick tries to joke, but Louis doesn’t care about any jokes right now, he just buries his face in Nick’s chest.

“I thought I had lost you. I thought they got you. Thought the raptors…”

“Hush… hush pet.” Nick whispers fondly, running a hand over Louis’ hair. “I’m here. I’m still here. Not leaving you. I promised I would come back, didn’t I?”

“Don’t leave me again.” Louis sobs, and Nick shakes his head, holding him tight.

“Don’t worry. I got you.”

“You need the medics… I… god Nick.” Harry walks up to them, and pulls Nick into a hug as well. “So much blood.”

“Not mine.” Nick says. “I feel fine. Happy to be back. Had you given up on me?”

Louis gives Harry a look.

“You still need to be checked out by a doctor.” Harry says, and Louis melts into Nick’s side, thinking he will stay there forever. He would honestly be very okay with that.

“Don’t argue it, they will just do it anyway.” He says as Nick nods.

“Okay. Will you come with me?”

Louis lets out a little laugh, he is close to tears and overjoyed and he doesn’t even know how to handle all of these emotions.

“Yeah, yeah of course I will come with you.”

“What happened?” Harry asks as they walk to the medical department. Nick is quiet.

“Let’s not force me to relieve it right now, okay?” He says quietly. “Can we just focus on the fact that I’m back and not missing any limbs and that we didn’t lose the popstar either.”

Louis would jab him in the side if he wasn’t so happy he was back. Instead he settles on just letting out a little sigh, still pressed into Nick’s side as they walk. He wants to ask again what Nick has been through, but he isn’t sure he wants to hear it either. He doesn’t want to force Nick to talk about it anyway, he doesn’t want him to do anything he doesn’t really want to do right now.

“Of course.” Harry quickly says. “Of course, we… we don’t have to talk about that now. No.”

“Good.” Louis says and then follows Nick into the examination room.

“Nick.” The doctor says, giving him a big smile. “We thought you’d be gone by now, mate.”

Nick shakes his head, forcing a smile because Louis can already tell that it’s forced, and it’s kind of scary how he knows Nick this well already.

“Couldn’t leave this one, could I?” Nick says, and he squeezes Louis’ hand at that and Louis squeezes back, hoping it’s no one but him that notices the tear trickling down his cheek.

He is back.

**

They run so many tests on Nick before he is told to stay for the night for observation, while Louis is told to go back to his own room again.

“But I feel fine.” Nick protests, but there is no discussion. Louis tries to not be disappointed as he walks back to his own room, but he can’t help but feel that he finally got Nick back and now they are separated again.

He goes to bed, not wanting to sleep at all, but only wants to know how Nick is doing.

He is playing a stupid game on his phone when he hears a knock on the door.

Louis knows there can only be one person knocking on his door, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up so he asks anyway as he walks up to the door. He doesn’t want to find out it’s Niall or Harry, just wanting to make sure he is okay.

“Who is it?”

“Me.” Nick’s voice is soft and quiet, and Louis lets out a relieved breath as he unlocks the door and opens it.

“Nick.” He breathes out, and Nick nods. He’s dressed in boxers and a large shirt, scratching his neck.

“You know… sleeping alone is kind of…”

Louis doesn’t let him finish, he pulls Nick inside and kisses him greedily and it’s as if Nick knows him exactly, because his arms wrap around him as Louis jumps up into his arms, wrapping legs around his waist and arms around his neck as they still kiss.

“Don’t leave.” Louis whispers, and Nick carries him over to the bed, carefully putting him down.

“Didn’t plan to.” Nick murmurs, pulling away to pull his shirt off.  “They won’t notice I’m gone.”

“Good.” Louis nods, pulling Nick closer by the necklaces around his neck and sighs happily as Nick’s body press his own down against the soft mattress.

“I don’t usually sleep with boys before the first date.” Nick mumbles as his hands trail over Louis’ body, taking in every inch of him. Louis arches his back, moaning softly.

“You mean to tell me we haven’t had a few dates already?”

Nick laughs, and he still chuckles as he presses kisses along Louis’ neck.

“You think the cave was a date?”

“And the tree.” Louis murmurs, lifting his bum off the bed so Nick can take off his boxers. He sighs happily as his cock is finally released, and even more when Nick wraps a large hand around it, stroking him to full hardness. It’s been so long since he was touched like this, and he is already leaking.

“Hmm, dating while worried we might get killed.” Nick murmurs in his ear, and Louis isn’t sure how he finds the lube and condoms at the bedside table that Louis didn’t even know he had, but he is grateful they are there and even more grateful that he doesn’t let go of Louis as he does. “That’s very romantic.”

“That’s why I liked you.” Louis gasps, spreading his legs as Nick lubes his fingers up, offering himself as Nick teases him with the bad of his thumb, his entrance begging for him to come inside him. “So very romantic, you sure know how to get a lad.”

“Planned it all along.” Nick whispers, and then he shuts them both up by kissing Louis hard, all while slipping his finger inside Louis. Louis lets out a moan, covered by Nick’s lips, and he spreads his legs even more as Nick fingers him open slowly, almost too slow, but Louis doesn’t even have the energy to beg for him to give him more, and he quite enjoys the way Nick takes his time with him.

Nick has three fingers in him, fucking him with them slowly and Louis rolls his hips back against him, clenching around them just to show Nick how good it will be once he is finally inside.

“Are you ready?” Nick whispers.

“God.” Louis breathes out, closing his eyes, and it’s as much of a response that he needs.

Nick rolls the condom on, giving himself a few strokes and lubes himself up, and Louis hooks one leg over his hips as Nick positions himself, and when he slides inside him Louis feels full, full and content and as if this is all he ever wanted.

“Nick.” He breathes out, fingers clawing at his back and Nick looks at him, eyes big and fond as they start moving together, it’s easier than Louis thought it would be to adjust to Nick’s size, and the slow thrusts is in an angle perfect to slam against his prostate.

“You look so pretty like this.” Nick whispers, and Louis lets out a whimper.

They move together as if they have never done anything else, and Louis wonders if it will always be like this, if he will always feel like he is in a stupid silly movie when he is with Nick, but he can’t stop himself from thinking it.

Louis is so close. He gets closer every time Nick moves, especially when he kiss him, kiss his neck, and as Louis moves his hand over Nick’s back again, causing him to moan into his ear.

“I’m gonna…” Louis whimpers, and Nick fucks into him harder as if he can see how close he is, and how desperately he needs to come.

“Mhm.” He murmurs, pinning Louis’ hips down and Louis clench around him, letting out an even louder moan and a sob as his orgasm wash over him, causing his body to shake as he comes between their bodies, splashing come all over their chests.

“F-fuck.” He whispers, and Nick isn’t far behind and when he comes, Louis feels his whole body levitate of the bed, he isn’t sure if he is hallucinating or actually flying as he feels Nick’s cock pulsate inside him for what feels like forever before Nick finally is still, letting himself collapse on top of Louis for a few seconds before he rolls off.

Louis waits until his breathing feels better, and as Nick gets rid of the condom, Louis reaches for some tissues next to bed to wipe the worst of his come off them both, before he settles in Nick’s arms again, head perfectly fitting in the crook of Nick’s neck.

“So…” Nick says, fingers trailing over Louis’ spine. “Do you think they pay a guy extra if he sleeps with the popstar?”

Louis hits him in the face with a pillow, Nick laughs and tries to catch it.

“Idiot.” Louis hums as Nick instead catches him, securely wrapping his arms around him.

“What I’m serious.” Nick blinks innocently.

Louis hits him with another pillow.

3 months later.

They are almost there when Nick grabs Louis’ arm as if he is in pain. Louis stares at him confused, because it’s random and Nick doesn’t usually grab his arm like this.

“Everything okay love?” He asks, furrowing his eyebrows.

“I can’t do this!” Nick whispers, panic in his eyes. Louis looks confused still.

“Walk down the red carpet?”

“Yeah.” Nick nods, and he is pale and looks absolutely terrified and Louis can’t help but smile at that, which seems to make it worse. “Don’t you dare laugh at me. It’s scary.”

“The reporters, or fans, or the other people around?” Louis asks, and Nick seems to think about it for a moment.

“All of it?” He suggests, and Louis can’t help it, he starts laughing, and Nick looks furious.

“Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry, I’m just… sorry.” Louis says, but he is still laughing. “I just… you worked with dinosaurs and we nearly got eaten and you never really flinched and here we are and you’re freaked out.”

“I’m not used to this.” Nick mutters as the limousine parks. Louis understands him, he really does. He puts a hand on Nick’s knee, giving it a light squeeze.

“Hey.” He mumbles, making Nick look at him. “You can do this.”

Nick doesn’t look so sure, but he takes Louis’ hand. They stay like that for a moment, until the driver coughs and Louis knows they have to get ready. Nick nods.

“You’re right next to me, right?” Nick asks, and Louis smiles. He opens the door, steps out of the car as he is still holding onto Nick’s hand. They come out to a sea of lightning flashes and people shouting his name, and Nick grips Louis’ hand harder.

Louis smiles, waves for the cameras, and then leans in to mumble in Nick’s ear.

“Don’t worry. I got you.”