Life Inc.

Harry was a wreck. He had switched off and when he had finally switched back on, Louis and the others were gone and had yet to return. Harry paced, he fidgeted, he even cleaned to try and take his mind off all the horrific things that he imagined could be happening to the boy he loved in that moment of time.

Harry wasn’t stupid; he knew that in one way or another, not all of them were going to make it out of the whole ordeal alive. It was common sense. He had been talking with Liam far more than Louis knew, or indeed any of the others knew. Liam had told him everything. He told Harry all about his childhood with Louis, he told him all about Niall and how he was irretrievably in love with him and refused to tell him that. But most of all, they had talked about the plan.

Liam had been pretty confident about the plan until Harry had wisely pointed out that it was never going to work without a suitable distraction, which he had confidently signed up to be. Liam had instantly protested adamantly. He knew that Louis would be livid if he thought that Liam was putting Harry in danger, even if it was consensual danger. But Harry was insistent and wouldn’t take no for answer. He also made Liam swear not to tell Louis, out of fear of his reaction.

Louis had changed since they had arrived. He had grown more confident, he was having less nightmares, he was coming into his own as the elder of the two of them, of all of them. When Louis and Harry curled up together at night, kissing languidly and murmuring small nothings to each other, giggling quietly and letting their fingers explore each other’s bodies until they fell asleep in each other’s arms, it no longer felt like Harry was caring for Louis. Instead, they were equal now. Equally independent and interdependent. Equally irretrievably and hopelessly in love with each other.

But Harry wasn’t stupid and he wasn’t selfish either. He had found his bliss, and Liam and Niall were
on their way, but Zayn and the rest of the world deserved theirs and Harry had his part to play. What they were going to do, what they were going up against – there was no way that all of them could escape unscathed, let alone alive. That was why every moment left with Louis was precious, every whispered declaration of love. And why it was so vital that Louis returned to him now – they were running out of time together.

Harry eventually fell asleep waiting, his sleep shallow and plagued with bad dreams, curled up on one of the sofas. He woke when he felt someone sit next to him and soft fingers grazing up his cheekbones. He reached out and curled his fingers around the delicate wrist, eyes opening blearily. Louis smiled down at him, apparently uninjured.

“I was so afraid, you son of a bitch,” Harry muttered, throwing his arms around Louis’ neck and holding tight. Louis chuckled slightly, hugging Harry back.

“I’m okay,” he reassured. “I’m completely fine.”

“And the others?”

“See for yourself,” Louis smiled, kissing Harry and then leaning back so that Harry could see the other three. Zayn was collapsed on another sofa, sporting a nasty gash on his forehead but otherwise fine. Liam was sat at a bar stool in the conjoined kitchen with an unharmed Niall fussing over him. It was only when Niall hurried away to get something that Harry saw the blood trickling in quite scary quantities down his arm.

“Liam?” Harry asked concernedly, sitting up a bit more and letting Louis move his legs down and then back up again so that he could sit down next to him with Harry’s legs draped over his lap.

“I’m fine,” Liam reassured, smiling at Harry, but they could all see the pain in his eyes. “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing, “ Niall muttered, returning with some medical equipment. “He got shot being stupid and reckless. Thank god it’s only your left arm and not something worse.”

“Stop it,” Liam murmured, resting his hand on Niall’s cheek as the blond began to clean up his wound to get a better look. The others recognized it as a moment of intimacy and had the decency to pretend they weren’t listening or watching. “It was my left arm or you. It was a simple decision to make.”

“What if you hadn’t been so lucky? You’re far more valuable than I am.”

“Not true,” Liam scowled. “I couldn’t do this.” Niall made a small discontented noise but didn’t argue the point any further.

“You’re so bloody lucky. The bullet is still in there but there’s only some tissue damage, and nothing major. It could be painful to get out though and your arm probably won’t be the same again.”

“It’s fine, just do it. We got the job done and you’re alive, that’s all that matters.”

“You got it done?” Harry asked, smiling as Louis intertwined their fingers.

“Yep, done and dusted,” Zayn grinned, standing up to grab a beer, offering one to Louis and Harry as Niall began to prepare Liam’s arm.

“So this is it then, huh?”

“Yep. We have a time frame of three days at the most. I think we need to do it the day after tomorr–Ah! Fucking hell!” Liam yelled suddenly. Niall grimaced, dropping the bullet that had been wedged in his arm onto a saucer with some surgical tweezers.

“Sorry,” he murmured, pressing gauze onto the wound. “I’m not sure if you’re going to be fit for duty, mister.”

“I’m going to have to be.”

“We’re going to have this argument later,” Niall scowled, dressing Liam’s arm.

“I don’t like it when mum and dad fight,” Harry murmured in Louis’ ear, grinning when he earned a laugh from the boy he loved. Louis’s eyes were completely bright and alive, as they deserved to be, and as Harry had yearned for them to be since the day they had met. They were an enrapturing, electric blue that made Harry breathless and his stomach tighten and his heart fall over itself. He made a mental note to tell Louis how beautiful it made him later.

Almost as though Louis could read his thoughts, he looked away from Liam grimacing in pain to smile at Harry, giving him a small suggestive nudge in the ribs. Zayn chuckled and rolled his eyes at the pair as they stood, giggling and clutching to each other. Louis saluted Liam on his way out, who laughed and nodded understandingly.

Once they pair were hidden away in their own room, it gave Harry a chance to check Louis over for himself. His large hands peeled off Louis’ shirt, exploring the planes of Louis back and ribs and the expanses of smooth skin, stretched over defined muscles. Louis waited patiently as Harry checked for himself that Louis had escaped with no more physiological damage than a couple of nasty bruises. When he was satisfied, he tilted Louis’ chin up so that their eyes met.

“Well?” he asked gently, cradling his face. Louis’ shoulders slumped and he wrapped his arms around Harry, breathing deeply.

“It was horrific Harry,” he whispered. Harry pulled Louis over to the bed, cocooning him in his arms and kissing him gently.

“It’s okay, we’re so close Lou.”

“I’m fine, really. I’ll be fine.”

“Louis, you know that I’m the only person in the world that you never have to pretend in front of. You’re not fine.”

“I don’t want to think about it. Let’s just spend as much of tomorrow in bed as possible, then I might come back to you in one piece.” Harry gulped to himself, thoughts returning to his conversations with Liam.

“I love you Louis Tomlinson, don’t you dare forget that. No matter what happens. I love you.”