It's What You Know

Summary: AU Larry Stylinson fic, based on the film Mr and Mrs Smith. Harry and Louis are highly skilled assassins, working for rival organisations. When they become each other’s targets, they must decide on their priorities.

“I think you’re an idiot, just so you know,” Harry said bluntly, Louis’ head still rested on his shoulder and their fingers still entwined behind Harry’s back. Louis frowned and sat up, regarding Harry.

“That’s no thing to say to the man that just saved your life,” Louis replied only half joking, already looking around the room for anything that Aiden may have missed to get him and Harry out of there. He even stood up, tapping on walls to look for loose bricks and tugging once again on Harry’s restraints (which still wouldn’t budge - Aiden hadn’t missed a trick). 

“I think you’re an idiot because now we’re both here. You had a chance, Lou. You could’ve left, hidden, waited for all of this to go away. He would’ve given up eventually, killed me and left you alone,” Harry sighed, tilting his head back like he wasn’t just talking about his own death. Louis shuddered at the thought of Harry being here alone for all that time, not admitting that he was waiting for Louis but waiting all the same. He turned slowly, kneeling in front of Harry and holding his face with his fingertips.

“If it was me that had been kidnapped, what would you do? Run away and wait for me to die?” Louis wouldn’t have minded if Harry had nodded yes. It was a human’s basic survival instinct to protect themselves and both Harry and Louis kept on defying that - it was only natural for one of them to want to break, eventually. It didn’t take Harry a second to shake his head no fiercely, though. Louis smiled absently and rubbed a thumb over Harry’s jaw as if to say see, I had no choice.

Louis sat after deciding that his search of the room was fruitless, hand tucked in Harry’s once more. He swapped between rubbing the ache from Harry’s arms and legs to pacing the room and back again. Occasionally he’d slide a hand into Harry’s hair and scratch his scalp gently, comfortingly, knowing it would soothe Harry which it did to some extent. 

Louis wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, but he guessed at hours. Harry fell asleep against his shoulder, body going limp and breaths slowing and evening out. Louis’ shoulder began to ache but he didn’t even think about moving, settling instead for carding his fingers through Harry’s hair and talking to him in quiet whispers. Harry woke with a sigh and a wince when he stretched, obviously uncomfortable from sitting in the same position for so long. He looked a little dazed, but smiled widely when he registered Louis sitting next to him.

“I’ve been thinking,” Louis murmured, not removing his arm from where it rested around Harry’s shoulders, “Liam and Zayn know where I am. They’ll realise soon what’s happened, they’ll send back-up. We’re gonna get out of here,” Louis assured Harry though he knew that the chances were still slim. Harry smiled weakly and nodded.

“Aiden will have back-up too. He has dangerous contacts, people that will make our lives hell even if we do survive,” Harry muttered and Louis’ heart sank, because he knew it was true. Even if they did make it out of here alive they’d still live in fear at how many people knew and how many people wanted revenge. Neither talked more on the subject, waiting instead for Aiden to come back and deliver their fate.

Though he knew there were more important matters to worry about, something that Aiden had said earlier was making Harry restless and he needed to share it with Louis.

“Lou, there’s something I need to say,” Harry began, willing himself to be strong and not to do something ridiculous like burst into tears, “something about what Aiden found in our house,” Harry murmured, training his eyes on the floor between the two of them.

“Yeah, Harry?” Louis urged, absently tracing patterns on Harry’s arm.

“He had adoption papers. Said he found them in a draw. Why didn’t… I just… why didn’t you tell me how important that was to you?” Harry asked in a small voice, willing it not to betray his weakness. Louis stilled beside him and sighed heavily, flicking his fringe from his eyes with his hand (a nervous trait of his).

“I knew you weren’t ready and it wasn’t something I was going to push. It’s just something I really, really want to do. I want a family with you so badly, Harry,” Louis whispered, like it was a dirty secret or something. That made Harry’s heart clench uncomfortably, hating the fact that Louis thought he needed to be embarrassed about this and despising Aiden even more for making something so special into a joke. 

“Never… never feel like you have to hide these things from me, Louis,” Harry reassured, ducking his head to meet Louis’ eyes. Louis responded by kissing him simply on the lips, Harry trying his best not to wince at the pressure on his split lip. He tugged against the rope tying his hands, desperate to hold Louis’ face in his hands, to stroke his thumbs over his jaw and wrap him in an embrace. Louis understood, shifting closer and wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist, Harry hooking his chin over Louis’ shoulder and closing his eyes. 

The moment was ruined by the sound of the heavy metal door being pushed open.

“How sweet,” came Aiden’s sarcastic drawl at the sight of Louis and Harry’s embrace, “let me guess. You’re going to get through this, no matter what, because you’ve got each other,” Aiden smiled, Louis letting go of Harry and fixing him with a glare. That’s when he noticed that Aiden wasn’t alone - Liam stood by him, mouth set in a tight line and arms held behind his back by the man that Louis still didn’t know the name of.

“Liam!” Harry cried, pulling hard against the restraints and wincing when the rope burned his wrists. Aiden’s smile fell and his expression became tight, looking at Louis.

“What did I say about coming alone,” Aiden snarled, taking a step closer to Louis who was now also on his feet.

“I was alone,” Louis insisted, throwing a desperate glance over to Liam who looked helpless. Liam’s expression didn’t give Louis or Harry any confidence - it only seemed to make the situation worse, thinking that even more people had to get hurt now to try and save them.

“You disappeared from my tracker,” Liam said quietly, directly to Louis, “I had no choice but to come over,” he finished, expression sorry and chancing a quick glance over to Harry, who’s eyes had lost any hope they may have had. Rebecca slinked in then, stepping over to Harry and pressing a gun to his temple, smiling innocently. Louis sucked in a breath but did nothing more, knowing that whatever he did now affected whether or not Liam and Harry lived.

“What do you want me to do,” Louis asked, unable to keep the desperation from his voice, “tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it,” Louis continued, working to keep his voice even and confident. He couldn’t ignore the gun pressed to Harry’s head and the one pressed to Liam’s back, though. Aiden took another step closer to him, holding out a gun. It took a moment for Louis to realise that he was actually offering it to him.

“Kill Harry,” Aiden said simply, as if it were that easy. “Kill Harry or all three of you die.” And that was it. No speech, no spectacular show of revenge. Just Louis with a gun and two choices. Kill Harry (his Harry, the Harry he’d walk through fire for) or let all three of them die. He looked to Liam who was obviously trying to keep his face as neutral as possible, though Louis could see the fear in his eyes and in his trembling hands. Liam worked in the office, not on the front line, so he’d never been in a situation like this. This was the first time he’d felt a gun pressed to his back, the first time he thought he was really going to die. 

Louis thought about Liam’s wife, back home. Liam’s pregnant wife. Could Louis really be responsible for letting that child grow up without a father? He looked to Harry and was almost floored by the quiet acceptance in his face. He nodded slightly as if to say it’s ok, Louis, do it and in that moment Louis had never hated anyone as much as he hated Aiden. He hated Aiden for making him choose, hated him for not giving Harry a choice, letting Harry die either way. He could kill Harry and let himself and Liam live but then what? He’d have to live without Harry, knowing that it was his fault that Harry was dead. He could refuse and be responsible for all three of their deaths, be the reason why Liam’s wife had to raise a baby alone, be the cause of three grieving families.

He turned back to Aiden and took the gun with trembling hands.