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"The fuck happened to your face?" Zayn quizzed, looking Harry over

Harry squinted at him, fingers going to the cut on his lip "What, so you're speaking to me now?" He questioned, brows raised

Zayn shrugged "That depends" he replied "I'm going to tell you something and you'd better not be pissed at me" 

Harry's brows furrowed "What have you done now?" He asked

"What happened to your face?" Zayn shot back

Harry sighed at this "I had an idea" he muttered "It didn't go as well as I planned" he added

Zayn blinked at this, knowing his best friend too well for his own good "You got Louis to punch you because you wanted to feel physical pain to even out the emotional pain that you caused him, and then masked it with you telling him that he should get his anger out" he deadpanned

Harry fish-mouthed at this "How did you- did he tell you that?" He questioned

Zayn rolled his eyes in reply "No, idiot, I know you" he stated "I know all of the dumb shit you do before you even do it"

Harry hummed softly, knowing that it was true "So what dumb shit did you do?" He questioned, eyeing Zayn

The dark haired man bit his lip softly "Uh..." he muttered, shaking his head "I uh- well..."

"Spit it out, Zayn" he grumbled, folding his arms across his broad chest

Zayn blinked nervously "Actually, uh...never mind" he muttered "I'll handle it"

"What did you do-?" Before Harry could even finish, Zayn was bolting out of the room and running up the stairs

Niall entered at this point, looking a little confused as he looked at Harry and then to the door that Zayn had just ran through right past him "Where'd he go?" Niall quizzed

"Beats me" Harry replied with a shrug "Probably pulled some dumb shit and then felt guilty about it"

Niall snorted "Zayn and dumb don't belong in the same sentence" he muttered, eyeing Harry suspiciously "The fuck happened to your face?" He asked

Harry huffed at this, shaking his head "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" He muttered

"Uh, maybe because you're literally bleeding" Niall replied "And you have like... six bruises" he added "Just a thought"

Harry sighed in reply, wiping blindly at his face to clean up the blood "Is it gone?" He questioned, looking at Niall for approval

The blonde shook his head, stepping closer and using his sleeve to wipe the blood from Harry's cheek "Liam?" He quizzed, carefully cleaning Harry's face

Harry bit back a laugh "Louis" he corrected

Niall pulled a face at this "What did you do this time?" He asked

"I told him to punch me" Harry answered simply "And he did" he added

"Why the fuck would you ask him to do that?" Niall questioned, his words coming out harsher than he'd intended

Harry sighed softly "Because I wanted to hurt" he stated "Just like he was" he added

Niall furrowed his brows, exhaling softly as he took a step back from Harry "That's stupid" he told the younger man "Like... two fucking hurts don't make a... not hurt" he said

Harry rolled his eyes "Okay now that was stupid" he shot back

"You know what I mean though" Niall told him "Now he probably just feels worse than before" he said

"Why would he feel wo-"

Niall groaned loudly, cutting Harry off "Because he doesn't want to hurt you, you idiot" he stated "Just... just go talk to him" he said

"I have" Harry insisted "What more can I do than apologise?" He asked

"Be there for him" Niall told him "You can't just avoid him because it makes you upset" he stated "I know that it hurts when you see him look at you the way he does" he added "He doesn't mean it, he's just hurting" he explained "He needs you, even if he doesn't realise it right now"

Harry blinked a couple of times before replying "Since when did you become a couples therapist?" He questioned

The blonde shrugged "Around the same time I got ordained" he replied easily and Harry gaped

"You... I wasn't serious" he muttered "You're- you're actually...? You know what, never mind" he mumbled, cutting himself off abruptly before leaving the room

***

Advice is a changeable little thing, often differing from person to person. The one piece of advice that was a constant, though, was what all of the boys seemed to be telling Harry since his feud with Louis had began

It was his own fault, no doubt, but the way that the younger boy was handling the situation was more than frustrating to Harry. It's as if he understood the older man's reasoning and forgave him for his actions, yet couldn't seem to ever move past it. This was understandable, of course, but it certainly made Harry's life more difficult, which wasn't particularly convenient when dealing with potentially one of the biggest threats that they've ever come up against before

Either way, Harry found himself following the one piece of advice that the other three boys had seemed to ingrain into his mind. Talk

He'd planned it, rehearsed it even, exactly what he was supposed to say, word by word. Embedded into every cell in his mind, stitched into every inch of his memory. Though, when he walked through the doors of his bedroom and saw Louis sat there beautiful as ever, each word seemed to escape his mind. Tongue tied, limbs locked, face frozen

"Hey" Louis started softly, looking up at Harry with wide eyes

And there was no doubt that those eyes put Harry at ease "Hi, baby" he replied just as gently, the words flowing just as easily as they always did; the pet name seeming to be nothing but the norm

There was silence for a moment after this, deafeningly so. Despite this, Harry didn't have the heart to fill it, looking at the boy and feeling overwhelmed with everything that they were going through

He let out a sigh, stepping closer "I wanted to-" he started, not knowing quite what he'd planned to say "I just-" he cut himself off again "Sorry" he settled on the only word that he was feeling; the only word he would recite until he was forgiven

A look of hurt crossed Louis' face as if seeing Harry in this dejected state made the younger boy hurt almost as much "Look" Louis said softly, exhaling sharply before continuing "I know that we're not on the best of terms right now, but please don't-" he muttered, swallowing "Please don't be upset, it's not just your fault" he promised "I need time"

Harry nodded immediately, taking from Louis anything that he could get. Before he could speak or reply, Louis started again

 "And I just-" he shook his head gently, looking up at Harry once more "I just want you to know that I love you" he finished, offering the older man a smile "Always"

Harry blinked, deflating slightly in relief "I love you too" he told the boy immediately, the words that were once foreign to him, itching to be said "Take your time, baby" he added softly "I'll be here, always" he promised "When you're ready for me, I'll be ready for you" he whispered

"I know" Louis said back, just as gently

Before Harry could even reply, there was knocking at the door and three men rushing inside before they were even given the go ahead

"Sorry" Niall said quickly "We have something important to tell you" he announced "And uh... given current circumstances, we didn't expect to find the two of you in a uh... compromising posi-"

"What did you find?" Harry barked out quickly, flustered

Zayn smiled at this, holding up the camera "We found the next gang" he stated

"How long do we have?" Harry asked, already rushing to the door

Liam answered this time "Around an hour to get to them" he said "And to hide Louis, too" he added

Louis scoffed at this "What?" He questioned, walking over

"You almost got hurt last time" Zayn reminded "Those two guys who-"

"That was one time!" Louis exclaimed "I want to help" he said, looking between the men with confusion evident in his eyes "Harry" he muttered, turning to the older man

Harry sighed softly, shaking his head "We don't have time to argue, Louis" he said softly "Just listen to us"

Louis blinked at this incredulously "You really want to-" he cut himself off, huffing softly "Fine" he muttered "Let's just go"

"What's the plan, Zayn?" Harry questioned as the five of them gathered up their resources

Zayn pulled up a pinpointed map on his phone "See where they are?" He quizzed, pointing out a red marker

Harry nodded "Not far from here" he noted

Zayn hummed in agreement "Also not far from a desolate warehouse which we used to run" he added "I kept tabs on it ever since we upgraded and it turns out that it's theirs now, according to the statements I found online"

"So we know the area well and it's guarded by the forest" Harry stated "That's great"

"And that's not even the best part" Niall added in, causing Harry to raise his brows at the blonde "The best part is that our cabin is just on the other side of the woods" he reminded, pointing out the spot marked on Zayn's phone

Harry smiled at this "So we have a discreet location and protection" he muttered "Perfect" he added, throwing a couple of things into his bag before leading the rest of the men to the car

"So?" Liam quizzed "What is the plan?" He asked

Zayn smiled slightly, helping Harry load the equipment into the boot of the car "The plan is to stay alive" he stated "The course of action, however, is to catch them off guard by going in from the side of the warehouse and blow the whole thing up" he said "They won't even see it coming until they're on fire"

"Perfect" Harry agreed, clapping his hands together "How long do we have?" He questioned

"Fifty two minutes" Zayn told him "Tops" he added, slamming the boot of the car shut before climbing into the back

"You're driving" Liam told Niall, throwing him the bunch of keys which he caught gracelessly

The blonde rolled his eyes, unimpressed by the proposition "Why's it always me?" He grumbled, but climbed into the driver's seat nonetheless

Liam climbed into the passenger seat and Louis squashed himself  between both Harry and Zayn

Louis spoke up as soon as they were backing up and leaving the mansion "So what exactly am I going to be doing?" He questioned

Zayn didn't reply for a second and Louis elbowed him expectantly "Huh?" He asked "Oh uh, yeah, you're gonna stay behind" he said

Louis frowned at this "Doing what exactly?" He quizzed

"Being a damsel in distress" Liam cut in "That's what'll keep you safe" he added

Louis huffed softly "I don't want to be safe if the rest of you aren't" he stated

"Well you don't get a say this time" Niall told him

"Wow, thanks" Louis grumbled, folding his arms across his chest "So much for equal rights"

Zayn huffed out a laugh "Well sorry for trying to keep you alive, little soldier" he muttered, half offended at Louis' stubbornness

"What's the point in learning how to fight if I never get to use it?" Louis mumbled to himself

No one called him out on it

***

Coincidences rarely existed, but Harry decided that he would take a chance on this one

A cabin that the four boys owned was suspiciously close to the area that Zayn had traced the rogue gang to. Merely half a mile apart, with nothing but a forest between them

The five boys were quick to pack up their things and head to the location where the cell phones of the gang were being traced to

Louis was huffy the entire car journey, complaining about being the only one unable to help, only to be reminded that he was in severe danger the last few times that they'd tried to engage in a mission like this one

During the short car ride, they decided that Louis would be the safest at the cabin they owned. It had high security, just like the house, and cameras looking over the entire premises, meaning that Louis could report back from a safe place and still feel a little involved

Louis reluctantly agreed, grumbling something about being left behind only to be shut down by Liam using his dad voice on the younger boy

When they arrived at the cabin it was empty as expected; almost exactly how the four of them had left it a few years ago, bar the cobwebs and dust building up in the corners and crevices

"Smaller than I recall" Harry said softly, humming as he looked the place over

Liam snorted "That's what you get after a year of running between the worlds most renowned hotels" he replied

"Computers are all still good" Zayn told them, already at the opposite side of the room and looking the technology over

"Shouldn't we get going?" Niall questioned, still keeping an eye on the cell tower responses from the gang's phone "Before they move again" he added

Zayn nodded immediately "Everything's good here" he agreed "We should get going" he stated

Harry backed up, giving the place another brief look over before turning to Louis. He paused in thought, conflicted and hesitant

"You know, we can handle it if you want" Liam said "Just the three of us" he explained, directing his words to Harry

The boss shook his head immediately, despite his intense desire to stay right here with Louis "I'm coming" he replied "Give me a second" he added, walking over to the youngest boy as the gang gathered at the door waiting for him "If anything goes wrong-" he started

Louis cut him off "I'll come and help" he finished

Harry blinked "No!" He exclaimed "That's not what I was going to say" he stated

Louis grinned "But it's what I'm going to do anyway" he replied "So you better make sure that nothing goes wrong" he teased "Stay safe, Harry Styles, or else I can't be held responsible for my actions" he said

Harry couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips, or the look of pure adoration that filled his eyes "I'll make sure of it, baby" he promised "I'll be fine" he said, taking Louis'  hand in his own

"I'll hold you to that" Louis replied, a worried smile on his face

Harry nodded, bringing Louis' hand to his lips and kidding lightly "I know you will" he said softly, gently letting go before leaving the cabin without another word, the boy by his side

The boys left swiftly, leaving Louis with nothing but a gun and his inevitable loneliness. Liam hopped into the driver's seat with Harry shotgun in the passenger and the other two boys in the back

They discussed strategy quickly, but after a short discussion they decided to just wing it. The gang only consisted of six people, all considerably less experienced than them; it wouldn't be much of a fight, seen as they were already at an advantage, having traced them without them knowing or being prepared for the attack

The cell location was a short ride from the cabin and they arrived there within five minutes, having to drive around the perimeter of the woods rather than through it

It wasn't exactly a surprise when the warehouse and grassland around it looked empty, it was most likely that the gang were laying low from the authorities and would either be inside or around the back

The grass surrounding the warehouse was vast; the forest was only a few meters from the back of it, just a short distance from the cabin that Louis was staying in

Harry was the first to get out of the car, climbing out of the passenger seat and cocking his gun before he closed the car door. The rest of the boys followed suit, hopping out of the car and walking towards the warehouse, guns blazing

"Bit quiet, isn't it?" Niall questioned, voice low

Harry hummed softly "Still think we should blow it up?" He asked Zayn

The dark haired man shrugged "We should get a look first" he replied "Might be no one in there and we don't want to draw attention to ourselves" he stated

Liam nodded in agreement "But, if someone is in there then we should do it" he cut in "It's easier that way" he added

"I'll go look" Niall said, stepping ahead of the group and walking over to where there was an open door in the warehouse

Harry nodded at this "We'll wait here" he said, his back against the wall of the warehouse, looking around briefly "Got your headpiece?" He questioned and Niall nodded, pointing to the set in his ear "Keep us updated" he ordered

The blonde muttered his agreements, walking into the warehouse with his gun at the ready, he looked around briefly, but was met with nothing but silence. The other three boys waited patiently for updates on the outside of the building, making sure that there was no threatening activity around the area

"Don't think anyone's in here" Niall said after a couple of minutes

Zayn deflated, letting out a sigh before he spoke "Anything in there?" He questioned

"Nothing" Niall replied "Just empty boxes everywhere" he stated

Zayn looked down at his phone, checking that the phone was still active in the area "They should be in here" he said after a few seconds

"It's empty" Niall repeated "Come check it out if you want" he offered

Harry nodded at this "We're coming in" he replied, following the blonde into the building, the other two boys on his tail "Where's the cell activity coming from?" He asked Zayn

The dark haired man sighed, frustrated "Right here" he answered, pointing at the blinking dot on his phone; they were practically on top of it "They should be here" he repeated

Harry glanced to his side, holding up his gun when he felt movement and aiming at the shadow

"Just me!" Niall exclaimed, holding up his hands in defence and walking over "No one's here" he added

They agreed to look around for any kind of clues or evidence, but it quite quickly became obvious that the building and its surroundings were entirely empty. The warehouse only consisted of a couple of large rooms, all filled with empty cardboard boxes and tins of white paint. The phone that had conveniently come into view this afternoon, was nowhere to be seen and it seemed as if there wasn't a person around for miles

The four of them walked out onto the grasslands, leaving the warehouse behind and checking out the equally empty perimeter

Too empty

It took them approximately four minutes outside to realise that something was wrong

"Is that-?" Niall finished, pointing out a phone on the floor

Zayn blinked down at it, lips parted in shock. He pressed a button on his own phone and the phone on the floor beeped suddenly. Zayn nodded wordlessly, backing up and looking around the premises immediately for a threat

"Zayn?" Harry questioned "Zayn, what does this mean?" He asked

Niall paused for a second, soaking everything in "Means that this is a trap" he answered

At this moment, Harry's phone rang and Louis' name showed up as the caller; he answered immediately "What's wrong?" He asked straight away

"Nothing's wrong, I think" Louis told him "Why, what's wrong on your end?" He quizzed

Harry felt himself relax, breathing out a rapid sigh of relief "I don't think they're here" he answered "We were set up" he added

"So you're back already?" Louis questioned

Harry blinked "No, we're still there" he replied "We're just taking a look around to see-"

"Wait, so you're not parking up outside the cabin?" Louis asked, cutting in immediately

Harry's entire being tensed "No, why, what's wrong?" He rushed out

Louis stilled on the other end "Someone else is here" he answered immediately

The feeling of fear that Harry felt in that moment was unparalleled

What's going to happen to Louis? :(

Are you happy that Larry has (kinda) reconciled?

Have they been set up in a trap?

Vote? Comment? Ilygsm. Mwah x