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The hospital walls were glaring back at the man who sat there in a completely dishevelled state. The top buttons of his maroon silk shirt were undone with drops of perspiration rolling down his temples and over his neck. The black formal jacket was discarded at his side while his sleeves had been messily rolled up with sighs of annoyance released from his lips, one after the other. The entire day had been a thorough disaster and the adjective used was still an understatement. It still felt oddly like an occurrence from a dream for how hazy the situations of the day were, more specifically the night.Everything was perfectly fine until he got a call telling that his husband had disappeared from his residence. One thing which wasn't tolerated by any mobster was the disappearance of any family member. Reflexively, he had discarded all his work and headed home to where one of his guards was laying quietly knocked unconscious in the living room. It took him quite the effort to track his husband down but it eventually turned out that he didn't need to do so at all. There was a call at eleven in the night from his second in command giving away the location of his recently kidnapped brother and father alongside his husband's. When his entire team did arrive with him to the godforsaken place, they noticed that the place was almost burning in flames with the blood smeared everywhere and the middle of it all was the body, Marcus Castelli. A mob boss who had given the young man quite some trouble in spreading the wings of his business not only in Italy but also in Florida. Marcus was the one man who had the heir of the Styles family on a restriction and was proving to be more and more cumbersome as time passed. From framing money to scamming everyone in the underworld, Marcus' claws left nobody out and when he struggled to get Harry Styles under his control, he lashed out and abducted his father and brother, conspiring and cowardly. But something which did not add up in this narration was how his husband fit into it. Out of nowhere, the man snuck in and not only saved his family but also surprised everyone by taking a surgeon's place in the operation theatre too.At that point, Harry had taken a step back and just melted onto the chairs provided at the end of the hallway and contemplated deeply on the connection of the events passed. Arriving at conclusion that there was no logical or rational explanation whatsoever and any answer he was going to receive was through his husband, the same husband who had been tied to him in marriage and had hardly spoken a word to him in the two years which had passed. He shared his house but failed to share his life. The only update he ever got about him was from his subordinates and the only time they'd ever interact was during Christmas dinners where there was a compulsion for the entire family to be present. His husband was just another stranger he lived with, in a big house filled with great sorrow and even greater regrets."Harry," his second in command's voice shuddered him from his pool of thoughts, pivoting his eyes to look up at the muscular man, "they're shifting your father to the other ward, Louis just came out with the other doctors."Jumping up from his seat, he moved up with his friend to see his father being transported on a medical stretcher. His eyes collided with the figure of a man who had knelt down and was consoling his mother, who had probably just arrived at the hospital upon hearing the news of her son and husband.Sauntering closer, Harry took a seat beside his mother when Louis stopped talking abruptly. After a joined attempt to console his mother, Louis' eyes met the boss' very own and had fluttered away without any reluctance. Letting Liam guide his mother back to her house while his fingers clasped around Louis' wrist, "We need to talk."
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"There isn't anything to talk about." Louis' voice resonated, as soon as the question left his lips when they arrived at their condo. "What do you mean there isn't anything to talk about?!" Harry's screech echoed through the lonely walls while he slammed the door and sauntered behind Louis, climbing the staircase. "What the fuck did you expect me to do while you were taking millenniums to find dad's location?!""You could've told me after finding his location!" "I would've if your fucking secretary hadn’t been on her knees in the morning." Harry looked like a deer caught in headlights. Surprised and fazed. Harry quickly recovered from his stupor and hurled at him, "So you thought it was convenient to just barge in like a superhero?!""At least, I did something." Louis pointed out with his voice striking enough to break glass, "I'm not just spreading my legs for a cheap lay."Harry had a temper which usually never relapsed around Louis, he kept that part of him confined to the Mafia part of his life but the thin ice his husband was treading over, broke and in the flash of a second he had lifted his hand up to hit him when Louis cowered back in disbelief. He had never raised his hand against Louis of all people and now he had just raised his hand for the said action. Although the action never took place, the instance was catalyst enough to push Louis back against the door of his bedroom with widened eyes. "Why did you even stop? Do it and add physical abuse to the list of things you did to your husband!" The blue-eyed brunet remarked with disdain. "Fuck off, Louis." He snapped back. "Just fuck off, go and wallow in your pool of self-pity." With his blue eyes glistening glaciers, Louis slammed the door in the Boss' face and locked himself up while the Mafia Boss in his fit of rage continued to break every random thing his hands had the misfortune of touching.
* * *
When Harry woke up the next day, it was due to the slit between the two curtains which allowed the sunlight to peer inside, agitating him from the exhaustion, his body was taking a break from.Dragging himself from the bed, he noticed the note on his bedside table in Louis' messy handwriting.
Going to the hospital. I'm telling the family, you were busy at a shootout near the gates which is why I went inside.
Harry scowled in response to the letter. The headache which persisted was returning back to him in successions. Pulling aspirin out of his wardrobe, he threw the tablet down his throat and stormed into the bathroom.Following a bath and the little breakfast he decided to forego, Harry called Liam and Jacob to meet him directly at the hospital and to check for any other anomalies pertaining to the circumstances. On arriving at the hospital, Harry saw Jacob near the parking lot in quite an elaborate conversation with Liam who had just shrugged in annoyance when he noticed the boss' car enter. "Anything occurred out of turn?" Harry questioned, stepping into the lift with the two men. "Nothing," Jacob answered promptly and left to meet his father and brother who were quietly holed up on the above floors of the hospital. Stepping inside the ward, he noticed that everyone was seated casually on the sofas provided in the ward and animatedly engaging with one another in active conversation. No sooner was the Mafia Boss' presence made known, his mother moved towards him to embrace him warmly and kissed him on the forehead. "How are you? Is your headache better?""Yes, mamma." He answered returning the embrace and meandered over to his blonde brother, wrapping his hands around his shoulders. "How are you feeling?""Much better." He responded and hugged his brother. "I'm all fine, I had just passed out due to exhaustion.""Get some rest when you reach home." He told him grimly and moved to the chair beside his younger sister Kendall. "Where is Louis?" "He’s using the washroom," Kendall responded quietly and on cue, Louis just exited the washroom and came into the ward. Seeing how husband wormed into the room, he carefully took note of how deliberately, Louis was trying to not meet his eyes. "Where are Cara and Lia?" He asked his sister, averting his line of sight to his sister. "Cara just left for work a few minutes before you arrived and Lia is at school, I'll get her in the evening." Nodding his head in assessment of the answer given, his gaze still lingered upon his husband who was tending to his father, helping him sit up and tending to him and listening carefully to his father rant.Suddenly, Liam walked into the ward and turned towards Harry, "Fleming is here."The shift in the atmosphere was unmistakable. Everyone's gaze turned towards Harry who rolled his eyes at the calamity which was going to inevitably strike. Louis made his way to Harry's side, as he rose from his seat to greet the one police officer who had suffocated any crime organization's breathing in general and Harry's in specific. The officer entered with his minions dressed in clean uniforms. For a stereotypical police officer, he very well matched the standards. Tall, sturdy and muscular with his brown hair gelled back. "Step away, Styles," Fleming told him, "We've come for your father.""Not unless you tell us the what unneeded reason you've burdened us with your presence?" Louis' voice sharpened out, successfully grabbing the officer's attention that focused thoroughly on the man before him and remarked, "You must be Styles' husband." "That I am." His voice answered back, the blues fixed on him. "Well, me burdening you with my presence is due to the fact that your father in-law is over there with a gunshot through his abdomen and right leg.""It's come into our observance that Mr Troye and Mr Desmond Styles had been kidnapped by Marcus Castelli." Another office piped in. "And since shots were fired it automatically becomes a police case.""And who exactly gave you that idea?" Louis questioned coolly. Fleming stared at him with a raised eyebrow, "We assumed that-""-oh! You assumed that, is it?" Louis chuckled as he answer, as his arm wrapped around Harry's waist and that was instigation enough for the Mob boss to sink into character. "Pretty hypocritical for a person who claims to believe facts," Harry gave in a cocky smirk to the man before him. "Let's clear off his assumptions, yeah?" His husband looked towards him. "Dad had a nasty fall last night and was brought here," Louis answered, unfazed."Then why have they never been spotted anywhere in Messina in the past few weeks." Fleming altercated. "They were holidaying in Australia, they had a father-son week," Louis answered without a hitch and with a roll of his eyes. "Is that answer enough or should I tell you what time we have dinner too since you're so keen on knowing the details of our lives?""I would also like to know where you were last night?" He tried turning the table towards Harry."Are you deaf or just plain stupid?" Louis asked him with a smug grin and this question Harry knew how to drag on, "He just mentioned that dad had a fall. Isn't it obvious that we'd be running around to tend to him?" Fleming looked like he'd been slapped on the face, he didn't know how to respond to this sort of a retreat and Harry of all people knew that. The inspector had come for a reason to put him in a difficult situation but with Louis' flawless narration or theatrics, it didn't seem that it was going to occur today. "Marcus Castelli has been missing since yesterday coincidentally the same time when your brother and father were no longer missing and suddenly your father turns up at the hospital with an injury. All too circumstantial for it to be a coincidence." Fleming addressed. "Officer Fleming get this one thing in your head," Louis smiled a sickly sweet smile at him, looking at him in a way you'd look at someone much more inferior to yourself, "at times when you don't get concrete pieces of evidence against the person you have vendetta against, you should let the coincidences just remain," in a deadly tone he dropped down, "coincidences.""Now, you can go and try searching for more evidence and try to frame my husband again and try to look like you’re winning but just remember," Louis shooed him away like an animal, "the key word is try. Go on, do your best to try and frame them."And that moment Harry knew that this was the most insulted and angry he had seen Fleming. The man was fuming when he turned and stepped out of the ward. Louis' intonation and choice of words were clearly to humiliate the policeman but he was sure they hit him deep enough for Fleming to try harder at bringing the Crime boss down. Troye's voice rang him out of his thoughts, turning Harry towards the query of his youungest brother, "But Louis how-""-I changed the reports in the morning after checking with Doctor Bianchi and spoke to our pilot regarding the details of your trip," Louis answered before the man even completed his question and by the relaxed smile which shone in Louis' direction, it was crystal clear that the answer satisfied his worries. "Louis," his father's voice called out which whipped the blue-eyed man's immediate attention. Holding his hand out, he gestured, "Come here.""I don't regret for a second that I chose you to be a part of our family, you strengthen it," he told kissing his forehead and Louis' smile brought wrinkles on the side of his eyes, "and every person in this room acknowledges that, my dear."Something in the Mob Boss' chest surged with a concoction of pride and envy. Pride because regardless of the numerous questions behind Louis' actions what he did was not only honourable but also sacrificing, something only a person who truly loved his family would do, for that he silently sent a prayer to the Lord above for sending Louis into his life and the still inherent envy part of him, due to the fact that anybody in this room could hold the man in his arms but Louis would never give him the comfort of doing the same.
* * *
The following three weeks were spent in and out of the hospital. While Troye had been discharged earlier, Steffan was kept longer for the fragility of his health and let out at a later point.A few days later, Harry had taken time off his busy schedule and decided to visit his father on a late Saturday afternoon at the ranch house they owned. When he did arrive at the place, he saw his siblings chatting animatedly with Louis which the blue-eyed man was actively reciprocating and taking part in. His lips smiling then bursting into whorls of laughter in successions and then turning to contribute more to the present conversation. Tearing his gaze away, Harry walked into the ranch house to meet his father but crashed into his mum instead who asked him to join his father and her for drinks on the balcony. Sliding beside his father who had taken coffee instead of his usual round of whisky which mother and son were having. Settling down in one another's presences, his father was the first one to break the spell of silence by venturing on about casual business related topics and deviated back to Louis. "Harry?" His mother called to which the man just grunted in response with his eyes fixed on Louis and his siblings. "What's going on between Louis and you?"There was an immediate reaction from Harry, "What do you mean what's going on between him and me?" "What happened on the day you retrieved me and Troy?""He went on a rescue mission to get you both. I didn't do shit." Harry told casually with a shrug. His father looked at him with his lips pursed in clear disapproval of the intonation of his words and what the words denoted but it was his mother who called him out on it, "And you let him go on this rescue mission?!""Well, he didn't really ask my permission or thoughts over the situation!" He snapped and cut her off. "And if by any chance he is willing to tell the two of you how he so smoothly handled not only killing Marcus but also his men and saving Dad and Troye, let me know because he doesn't wanna look at my face never mind talk.""What did you do?" The question was a reflex and Harry wasn't surprised the blame of the situation would come upon him. He would be questioned what he did wrong because immaculate Louis was the second coming of Jesus Christ and he could never twitch his eyebrow in the wrong direction never mind harm, anybody. "That's what the fascinating thing is," Harry remarked with an edge of sarcasm to his voice, "I did nothing."Annetra turned to her husband who understood the worry clouding her face and took the reins of the conversation, "Harry, the family loves Louis a lot, he is a very important part of us.""Funny," Harry answered, "he should be a part my life before being a part of yours and that's the one place I see him absent all the time, my life.""What on earth do you mean by that?" His father questioned but didn't let his son retort. "Harry, I know between the two of you who's likely to fuck up," at this, the Harry rolled his eyes, "probably if you would try to show you're not a fucking rock and communicate with him, things would change. Tell me how many times have you even attempted to talk to him in these two years?""So all of this is my fault?" He scowled back. "Harry, he is fragile. He can't bear up with your anger or try to break past your stone cold exterior if you don't let him.""No, dad. I highly doubt that's what he wants from me, I feel what he actually wants is a divorce and since he doesn't actually communicate with me if he tells you about it, you know where to find me, I'll have the papers ready," he told him and additionally added, "the way our relationship is, I don't think he wants anything else." With that Harry got up from his seat to leave only to see Louis near the door, he had no idea if he heard his conversation or not and honestly, at this point, he didn't care. Nobody wanted to listen to his version of things and now he doesn’t want to listen to anybody's.
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Taking a deep breath and leaning back upon his chair, he quietly anticipated for the ritualistic black coffee, which was yet to arrive, while the moon made acquaintance with the dark sky. He spared a glance at the clock on his wooden desk and decided to pick up the leather binders which held the details of the meeting for the day.The mob boss had personally revised on this with Liam and assured that the meeting would be nothing but a success. The effort put into this one interaction could up the profits of their company by sixty five percent and in no way was he taking chances after skilfully manipulating the Castelli heirs. Harry was going to accept nothing but victory. The meeting was in another thirty minutes at half past eight in the board room of the building he was residing at the moment. After rereading the file, Harry had resigned to avert his focus onto the proposal the Accardi family had drawn. The subject was to prompt them into investing in their jewellery business which was expanding over Costa Rica and Mexico. There was no unneeded risk in the venture with them and that was what piqued his interest. If there was no risk, then something was definitely wrong with the said deal."Jacob," Harry's voice rang through his ears when the man entered the cabin, "I wanted to know if you have received any leads on the Accardi family?"Jacob took a seat before the man and pulled his chair forward in distinct actions, "We do have leads but nothing which will please you."His green eyes squinted in anticipation of the facts which were yet to be presented with a smirk, "The jewellery business is supposed to be a cover up, that's what they told you right?"The mobster gave up a nod. "The gold is illegally transported to the States." Jacob elaborated with more detail, "They're going to play us if we do adhere to their demands.""That's enough information to solidify my answer," Harry addressed solemnly and looked at him understandably, "thank you for your assistance, Jake."Shaking his head in agreement, Jacob's eyes hesitantly flickered to the Mobster in contemplation before continuing with his sentence, "Harry, I need to talk to you about something important."Unimpressed and equally intrigued by the sudden reluctance displayed by the underboss, "Go ahead, tell me.""I know that you wouldn't appreciate this but-"Snapping their attention away from the conversation at hand, Liam and Micah burst into his cabin without any kind of warning and just stared at him without any explanation. Glaring back at them, Harry waited for a few seconds until he questioned the two who weren't talking, "Any specific reason the two of you barged in like that?"Jacob was the one to start, "Boss, your husband-"His sentence was cut off by the ring of the telephone on his table. Receiving the call immediately and placing it on speaker, he heard the other side come to life, "Harry!" The crime boss' scepticism reached the roof when the exclamation ran through his ears."Where are you?" "That's for you to figure out!""You're drunk.""No! I'm not!" Louis' giggles came from the machine, as he continued to poorly defend his sense of disarray. "I just had five shots and then a few more! See! I remember!""Where are you, Louis?""Not telling you! You should find me!""I'll track your call down and send Liam."The line went silent and before Harry could call out his name, it came back to life. "If you don't come down here to take me home, I will take up the offer of so many men to take me with them."And if Liam does come here, I'll hit him with the bottle I'm drinking from right now!" Louis snapped at him. The blood in his veins was boiling when he threatened the mob boss on the discourse of his actions. Harry didn't waste another minute on his actions and ordered Jacob, "Track down the location of this call and cancel the meeting with the Castelli heirs.""Stay where you are, I'm coming." With that he disconnected the call to wait up for the location of his husband, which he received in quite a short span of time, before racing off to fetch him.
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On arrival at the dainty club on the outskirts of the city, he noticed there was no car belonging to him in the parking lot. For a minute, he doubted the authenticity of the location for the obvious lack of anything which seems to be associated with Louis but trusted his men enough to go inside anyway. Sauntering into the club, he noticed the cheap lightings which lined the entrance. Proceeding to move further into the cavernous place, he noticed there were people scattered through the floor and specifically crowded near the corner. On examining the corner, it came to their attention there was a staircase that led to the basement which was flickering with deep purple lights. Descending on the wooden board was the long line of people who were waiting to enter. Carelessly, he cut through it by handing over a bundle of notes to one and sliding in with his guards. His eyes flickered through the underground club and reached the figure of his husband who was sitting at the bar, his head laid down on the table while the bartender handed him another drink.When he raised his head to take the drink, Harry noticed another hand sliding down Louis' thigh which he swatted away. "I'm married, asshole!""Then where is your husband, sweetheart?" He loomed closer to Louis and before he could answer, Harry's palm pulled him off his husband and nailed him to the bar table. "Right here."The man struggled to respond due to the force the curly haired man exerted in pining him to the table. "Sorry!" He spat out."You better be." Harry hissed and let him go.No sooner did he turn towards his husband, Louis' arms draped themselves around his torso and Harry just stood there unaffected for the first few seconds at the unnatural display of affection but returned the gesture and wrapped his arms around his waist "You have no idea, how much of an important meeting I cancelled to find you."Louis looked up at him with his big blue eyes, "Am I ever a priority to you over your work?""If you weren't I wouldn't be here," Harry answered him and handed his credit card to the bartender. Looking meaningfully at Louis, he said "Let's go home."Picking him up from the ground to carry him due to the incoherence of his limbs, Louis was quick to gain comfort in his arms and quicker to settle down in the car. He was drunk but not unconscious and Harry knew that when he asked why the Boss asked his men to take them to their hotel on the outskirts and not their house.Louis continued to fluctuate between blabbering absolute nonsense to entertaining sarcastic humour and added a dash of dark jokes in between to which Jacob and Liam were mysteriously having coughing fits over. "Let's have sex." He suggested with absolutely no regard of the people around. Harry remained unaffected with his eyes fixed to the screen of his phone, "Tell me that when you're sober.""But I won't say that when I'm sober!""My point, exactly""Ahhh! Harry, you're being mean!""Tends to occur when you're a crime boss."Louis continued to release his frustration in the form of pouts and turned to get Harry's attention again."If I use a dagger," he drawled, "from this angle I can puncture Liam's lung."And since Liam was the one driving, the car did lose balance for a very brief period of time and turned back onto the track. "And how would you know that?" Liam questioned."I didn't go to med school for nothing." He growled and this caught Harry's attention due to which he threw his query at the drunk man, "And the angles? How are you so sure about that?""Because Ni taught me that." He answered and then bit his tongue. "Oops, you aren't supposed to know that!"Harry knew this was the conclusion of his confession at least as far as his past was concerned. The affirmation to these thoughts came in the form of Louis deviating from the topic by telling how cute Kendall's daughter looked in a tutu and Harry should consider buying it for his men. Quite a short while later they arrived at the resort which Harry owned. Without any inconvenience carried his husband to the suite which was usually reserved for him when he visited the establishment. Placing his husband on the bed, he dismissed the others who were tending to him and shut the door. "Why'd we come here and not go home?""Because there's going to be a raid at home for drugs in the middle of the night and I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire." He told him. "I was going to ask Keith to take you to my parents' place but since you called way before that I chose this.""Why? Couldn't you call me instead?"Harry removed his blazer and put it in the closet and turned moved to sit before the man who had sat up and was gazing curiously at him. "Louis, I think you should sleep, you're really tired.""Why do you not talk to me?" He asked as Harry laid down beside him. "Because you never do too." The mob boss shrugged. "We haven't spoken in the past two years, you know that?" "Two years, one month, fourteen days." He corrected him. "If you know so much, why don't you let me talk to you?""Louis, you of all people can't blame this on me. You know that the communication problem is all on your plate." Harry sighed. "You never try.""Even if I do, you just don't care," Louis muttered. "If you did, you'd make an effort."Harry stared blankly at the drunken man beside him who was actually talking instead of just glaring at him. In the two years which went by, they hadn't spoken, granted but never had Louis taken the initiative to talk to him to clear the huge communication gap they had and saying that Harry's mind was proud of this turn of events was an understatement. The fact that they spoke to one another was an achievement by itself. Louis lurched forward to drape his arms around Harry, "I don't want you to leave me." And at this point, Louis had begun to wet the side of his neck with his tears which jolted seriousness down his spine. "I know I'm difficult, I know I don't have sex with you either and I know those girls you sleep with are better but please don't leave me."Picking him up, his hand rubbing down his back in an attempt to calm the beautiful boy down, "Louis, I think there is something you must know," he said pulling him away and looking him in the eye, as tears continued their descent down his cheeks, "I've never cheated on you. Never. I don't know why you think that way but I haven't. I am too fond of you to disrespect you that way.""So you won't leave me?""I'm not going to," Harry assured him, "until you want me to.""I don't!""Then I'll stay by you for as long as you'll have me."Louis climbed upon his husband and embraced the man quietly after the boss' declaration and pressed his lips on top of Harry's. The thoroughly innocent peck was drawn back in less than a few seconds before the mob boss had a moment to even react and when comprehension did dawn upon him, Louis' was slumped against him. All he knew was that when tomorrow comes, Louis wouldn't remember any part of this conversation but for now, holding him in his arms was satisfaction enough.
* * *
Stepping out of the sleek Mercedes, wind quickly dusted across the man who scurried away into the tall building. His stance was hurried and his pace was swift, as though he was running late. Slamming through the doors, he was quick to ignore the protests of the men in his way and walked through the doors into the restricted quarters.The brunet knew the way their network worked. He knew how there were specific clubs and specific hotels and these establishments were a storehouse for everything illegal and we're extremely well guarded which was why possessing this knowledge worked to his favour.Louis was fuming was a polite way of stating how the young man's state was, he was raging and nothing any of Harry's underbosses said was going to calm him down. In his two years of married life, he had never felt this humiliated publicly. He had been out shopping through the day and when he was billed the sales assistant informed him that all his cards were blocked. Every single one of them. And that resulted to Louis up in a flurry of worry and anxiety at the counter. The fact that he was the only person in the store did nothing to reduce his anxiety. After half an hour of making pointless calls, the salesperson informed him that, they were instructed to do so by the Crime Boss himself. In response to that Louis asked them to take the pearl necklace he had brought for Anne and stuff it up their arse.Louis was aware of the reasoning behind this. Harry had been much more gentle in his dealings with him, Louis knew he was doing this because of the drunk fiasco. And the worst thing was he had no recollection of what occurred and the only person who knew of that was Harry and the only person he avoided like the bubonic plague was, Harry. After that incident, Harry had tried relentlessly in an attempt to talk to him or try to bridge the communication gap they had which he was trying to ignore as much as possible. He did not want to even look at the mob boss much less have a conversation with him. Harry cheated on him and that was the only conversation which was required to inquire over. On reaching the last door, he saw Liam coming out of it with his hands soaking in the blood which he wiped off with the towel placed in the room like it was water. "Louis. What're you doing here?" He questioned, a bit taken back by his sudden appearance. "Is he inside?" He asked Liam who assented to a nod and before he could even react to Louis, he barged in.The sight which he was met with, as soon as he opened the door wasn't aesthetically pleasing. The dark room had blood spilt. There were bloodied random rods on the corner with ropes. A man crouched on the floor, coughing blood, with his face sporting blue bruises. Louis looked around to see Harry in a bit of a surprise at seeing his husband but hardly did the mobster let that surface on his visage. "What are you doing here?" Harry questioned discarding the gun on the table and turning towards Louis. "I'll tell that as soon as you tell me why you think blocking my credit cards was necessary." "So this is your twink of a husband?" The man on the floor snorted before Harry formulated an answer. "He is easy going on the eyes.""You won't have any eyes left if you keep up with those comments." Louis snapped at him and steered his attention back on Harry who was smirking at the response. Ordering the others to tie him up, Harry meandered away from the room with Louis trailing behind him. "Why would you block my credit cards!?""I don't know, Louis," the crime boss mused, "why would I?""I need money, just in case you're unaware." He told him in a snide manner. "And I need some more than I usually withdraw.""Why? You aren't satisfied with wearing branded labels that you want to buy their companies too?" Harry threw back with sarcasm etched in his voice, surprised at the intonation. "It's mum's birthday next week," Louis told him. Harry strolled to the door adjacent from where he had come out behind whom Louis followed grumbling at the lack of attention he was receiving. "I remember that it's mum's birthday." He told him, unbuttoning his shirt which was stained with blood all over his chest. Throwing it on the chair discarded in the corner and retrieved a fresh shirt from the neatly stacked black shirts in the cupboard. "Dad has organised a party in the rooftop lounge of our hotel."Which you and I are attending together. I'll take you out for shopping on Saturday," at the lack of response, he turned to see Louis whose eyes were focussed elsewhere. "You work out a lot." He stated, his gaze lingering over Harry's abs which sported his butterfly tattoo and then travelled deadly slow towards his well-toned chest which had birds tattooed on them. "Are you checking me out?" Harry questioned, amused by the sudden turn of events. "I did no such thing!" Louis objected with his eyes squinted in offence, turning away from the direction of the mob boss and looking at the wall which was now before him. "I was just looking." He clarified and felt Harry's footsteps approach him but hardly did he even react when a strong pull turned him to push him back against the wall he was formerly facing."What are you-" and no sooner did he let those words out, he collided with his sturdy chest. A blush didn't wait for long to rush upon his cheeks. Louis' eyes weren't flickering, just constant at the birds painted on his chest, he was heating up in embarrassment and the whirlwind of emotions which was changing the anger he approached him with. Louis was getting carried away and this became even more prominent when Harry's hands wrapped themselves around his waist and the fact he was wearing the shortest crop top he owned wasn't helping the situation. In fact, it let Harry's hands slip onto his skin with ease letting tremors run through him."Just looking, huh?" Harry asked innocently, lowering his lips down to Louis' sending a shiver down his spine. "Then this," he murmured placing his lips on his ears and lining kisses down his ear to his neck in small intervals while his thumb brushed against the skin of his waist, "is just touching you with my lips."Louis was melting, he was enjoying this physical intimacy. The purpose of his arrival to the club was quickly lost while Harry continued to nuzzle the side of his neck. Bit by bit the shorter man was losing grip over his consciousness even baring his neck to the man in hardly any presence of mind."My doll, do you think I'd ever let you get humiliated?" He questioned him, rubbing his nose against his ear. "I would have never blocked your cards without the assurance that the bill was already paid for.""But you don't care," Louis let out a weak breath with an even weaker protest, "you never do.""If I didn't I would've left you with cards blocked without paying the bill and would've switched off my phone in that situation."Louis' eyes looked at Harry, they were contemplative and upset. They didn't know what to believe. His heart and eyes told him to trust the man before him who vowed to protect him no matter what but what about his mind? His mind which had seen countless number of proofs which told him that he should just throw divorce papers in his face. He was always in a dilemma and his heart was forcing him to take a chance. One small chance. One tiny step in Harry's direction. "Tell me to stop and I will," Harry told him while his fingers stumbled upon Louis' jaw and cupped it. Drawing closer to his lips, which was when Liam found it acceptable to walk in and Harry genuinely considered firing the man. "Harry, the man is willing-" he cut off on seeing the position of the man before him. "I'll be outside, he is willing to talk." Liam finished off and hurried out, leaving Louis and Harry back inside with his ministrations.Harry turned back to the smaller man who had stepped away from the crime boss and proceeded to walk out. "I'd be pleased if you'd unblock my credit cards and let me go buy something for mum." He told him and moved away to the door. "I'm going back home."And the distance between them which had been non-existent tugged at Harry once again to remind of the relevance it still held.
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The atmosphere in the Styles mansion was thick with tension. It was nauseating to the point where it suffocated each person. Harry had been generous enough to grace his family with his presence which was a rare occurrence by itself because half the time he had work to busy himself with and the rest of the time he just didn't want to but today he was forced to. His younger brother was turning twenty-five in the near future and as the head of the family, Harry had a responsibility towards him. To ensure, that Troye was fitted with a suitable husband. Everyone knew the gender he preferred, everyone also knew that Troye could get pregnant, he was a carrier and for a carrier to be born in the Mafia family was considered a blessing. Being as rare as they were made them extremely susceptible to abduction which was why Harry wanted him married, no later than the end of the year or at least the consolidation of an engagement would appease the Crime Lord's worries. Harry knew that Troye didn't pose an aversion to the idea of marriage. That being the reason why the curly haired man was aware he was being shown the portfolios of several eligible men and their background. But since the past few months, the trend Harry noticed was rejection. One after the other, Troye was turning down men like clothing suggestions."I don't want to marry him." Troye told him and at this point, Harry was annoyed and questioned him, "Why?""He gives me bad vibes.""You could meet him once and then decide on whether or not to marry him." Louis suggested. Nearly everyone was present when Louis was discussing the said topic with his brother in law. The Mafia Boss himself had initiated the topic but Louis was the one to converse. "Lou, no. I just don't wanna marry him or meet him.""Troye," the brunet told him gently, "Alyx is a perfect alliance in every manner in which I have evaluated on but the compatibility depends on you, you need to make an effort.""I don't want to!" "But why?!""Because I just don't want to!""Raising your voice isn't going to raise your argument." Louis responded nonchalantly. "Give us a reason.""I don't need to give you a reason for everything, Louis!" Troye snapped at him, "I get the reason why your relationship with Harry is the way it is, because you're so pushy."Silence spread like a plague. Quickly and effectively and before anybody knew it Harry's hand was raised midway, only to be put down by Louis. "You should be grateful that Louis is here, I want to choke you for what you just said!" He told him, to which the carrier was clearly terrified at the intonation and words leashed upon him. "Fucking-" Louis' finger flew to shush him by placing it on his lips, nodding his head in complete disagreement. "You're meeting Alyx tomorrow and that is final. If I receive any word about any sort of misbehaviour with him," he threatened and looked at his pale face, "you will see a side of me I don't usually show around family.""But I don't like Alyx, Haz." Troye managed to whimper out."I don't fucking care, he is an extremely good candidate both financially and to expand our business in Canada, you can do what you want but if nothing is wrong with him, you will and are getting married to him!" Harry snarled at him bringing Cara to his side to tone it down with Troye. "I am in love with someone else!" Troye's voice came in like an alarm. Harry's temper receded like waters after a tsunami and he stared blankly at his younger brother, "Who?""Promise me," he hiccups while looking at Harry with disbelief etched on his face, "you won't kill him."Harry rolled his eyes, "I won't.""Jacob."Harry stared at him with stoicism on his face and all he did was promptly walk out of the mansion after which Louis followed him immediately."What're you going to do?!""Speak to Jacob, of course." "Promise me you won't do something rash." He approached him. "Don't fucking use my affections for you against me!" Harry snarled at him viciously and sat down in his car but Louis slid into the front seat. "Harry, why don't you make a decision after you’ve actually thought it through rationally?" He questioned him, placing his arm on his bicep. "You'll just make decisions which you’ll regret.""Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare!" Harry scowled at him. "Don't try to fucking get me to listen to you when it's convenient to you and then ignore me the rest of the time!""I don't need your advice and I certainly don't need you." He hissed to Louis who just stared at him, hurt at what was just said, as he removed himself from the car and Harry just left.
* * *
Louis' thoughts were in disarray, he didn't know how to deal with the issues at hand. In the twenty-five years of his life, this was probably the first time he never had a solution to something which was posted before him.Louis hadn't been one who had everything served to him on a silver platter, he had to work towards it and he could work in the direction of the solution only if he knew what the fuck it was. Here, he was just unaware. He just didn't know. Louis had dealt with crime bosses with worse tempers than Harry, he had dealt with Mafia Lords whose intensity of power had been unfathomable and still he could bring all of them cowering down in fear because he knew the mechanism of a crime boss' brain and what he knew better was how to pull apart that mechanism but Harry, he was unexplainable. Louis didn't know where to start to end the mystery which he held. His actions exhausted Louis and drained his mental wellbeing into ruin because of the headache they gave him. Louis had a complicated past himself. A very intricately woven past which brought his insecurities to the forefront of his personality to construct the tower defence at times which even he didn't know existed. He had been through things people just wouldn't understand and the only person who was his rock through it all was Steffan Styles. The pillar he leaned upon, the one he derived strength from. The same reason as to why after everything crumbled in the States when Steffan had suddenly told him to leave everything and get married to his son instead without any prerequisite reassurances, Louis did it. He didn't know how Harry even looked and the first time he met him was at the altar, the second time he met him was a week after the wedding. He was always distant and detached but never let Louis feel like he was missing anything materialistic but the gap of his presence remained. Louis didn't know how to deal with a person with a demeanour like that. Every time he was interested in someone, the person chased after him, he never did the chasing or took the first step. It was always the other person even with Zayn. Although he sported a reserved persona, Zayn took the first step. After an era of chasers, he was confronted with such a scenario and he was aloof in the matter. Harry always kept him content with things. Money, cars, clothes, never let him lack anything but his company and that's one thing Louis really desired, his presence and attention. When the brunet finally made his decision to try to improvise on their relationship and make an effort, photographs arrived. Photographs of Harry cheating, Harry with other men and women. And the photographs kept coming every week, they hadn't paused even once and the more the proof, the more Louis was motivated to dissociate himself with his husband. They never had a confrontation over the topic and the spaces between them kept getting deeper even though he tried. Shaking his head to rid his mind of the thoughts which always seemed to be present, he paid attention to the ringing of the doorbell and even more attention at the footsteps which entered his house. Harry. He hadn't come home since the incident at the Styles' Manor and that was four days back.The next series of sounds he heard were orders to get him whisky while the footsteps sauntered up to the stairs and over to his room. Louis gathered his courage and walked towards Harry's room. By the time he arrived, he noticed that his husband had changed into a fresh pair of clothes. "What do you want?" Harry threw at him, as soon as he approached the door. "You didn't come home for the past few days.""You noticed? I'm surprised." He said sarcastically. Louis' expression softened with the pain inflicted by the words but he didn't respond. "I'd appreciate some peace and quiet." He grumbled. "My day's been rough, I don't want to take it out on you, Louis." Suddenly, Louis' eyes squinted upon seeing the pink on his face. Moving closer to Harry, he felt the warmth his skin was radiating. Touching the Mob Boss' forehead, his eyebrows rose up. "You're really hot.""I've been told." Harry chuckled causing Louis to look at him expectantly at the lame joke. "You're running a temperature." He told him and asked him to lay down. "Did you eat anything?""Nothing." He told him and laid down, growling at the pain in his head. "I'll get you something to eat and give you tablets, sleep.""Can't, I need to leave in an hour to talk to Liam regarding a deal with the Castelli family." Harry groaned and threw his head back. "You aren't going anywhere, sleep," Louis told him. "I'll talk to Liam."Louis did as he promised and brought Harry soup alongside tablets which the man gulped down and fell onto the pillow."I have a really important meeting to attend tomorrow morning.""There isn't a possibility that your fever may break by the morning, you're literally on fire," Louis said sitting beside Harry and placing a wet cloth over his forehead. "Need someone to take over the meeting.""I'll take your place.""Not funny.""I'm pretty serious.""You're pretty but I don't know about the last word.""Your attempt at flirting is horrible, now sleep." Louis chided replaced the wet cloth with another."I need to go tomorrow and finalize it, another cancellation can be a huge loss for us." Harry coughed. "I should call Dad, I think.""I'll go," Louis assured him with a smile, "I'm sure Dad will be okay with it too.""Louis, these men are difficult to deal with, taking into consideration you killed their Father and they have no clue about it.""Makes it even more fun." Louis grinned sadistically. "Louis.""Let me do it, I'll double the profits too."Harry was about as convinced as he was at the fact that rhinoceroses could befriend caterpillars, "Are you sure you can deal with these men?"
'Hon, I single-handedly was the only Mob Boss who got the entirety of America's drug scene on the tip of my fingers, you think I can't handle a few patriarchal assholes?'
"I am sure, don't worry." He assured him with a confident smile.
* * *
When Louis entered the boardroom, everybody rose in immediate respect for the man who just entered. Regardless of the prejudice they held against spouses of Mafia Heads of families that they should sit at home and allow their husbands to work, they did not forget whose husband they were dealing with. Harry was a formidable opponent and everyone in the boardroom was aware of it.Louis wasn't seeing the Castelli brothers for the first time. He had heard a lot about them and their incapability from not only Steffan but also Zayn who was a half brother to them. The four brothers, Amato, Amerigo, Amadeo and Amadore were everything Harry was not. Cruel, Cowardly and very, very lazy, not to mention extremely patriarchal. They vouched for the men who believed in being entitled to money, power and glory because they were born into the family and these facts weren't aiding Louis' mind on how to smoothen his deal with them. As the meeting proceeded, Louis flawlessly explained everything with respect to the subject at hand. Although, Amato was getting exceedingly irritating and was constantly complaining that they shouldn't be wasting their time talking to a carrier. Following his lead, the other three brothers were also doing nothing but commenting."I don't know what Styles thinks about himself, the bloody bastard has sent a fucking prissy to deal with professionals like us," Amato muttered venomously.And as these comments began to accumulate, Louis' patience was slowly growing extinct, courtesy to Amato Castelli. He didn't even try to figure out how Zayn came out sane from the man who fathered this lot."Reus." He called out to the man who was his bodyguard and had pinned himself to the door. "Keep your gun on Mister Castelli's shoulder." The command was enough to garner everyone's attention including Liam's who always preferred to play safe in such a scenario. Reus just gave him a smirk and did as he was told. "What on earth do you think you are doing!?"Promptly ignoring the man's protest he turned back towards Reus, "If Amato or any of his brothers discuss anything except business, shoot them.""Louis." Liam's warning grew in his voice but the raise of Louis' hand silenced him."What?!" Amato exclaimed. "First Styles sends someone like you to head such an important meeting and now you have the audacity to make death threats!?"The statement qualified for Louis to take two strides and quickly snatch the gun from Reus' hands and place it on Amato’s shoulder.He gave a sly smirk, "You wouldn't shoot. You don't have the guts." He agreed with a lopsided smile, removing the gun away from his shoulder, "You are right, I wouldn't shoot."And suddenly out of nowhere he continuously shot twice on his shoulder and legs, "I wouldn't shoot, I'd try to kill you instead.""Another word in the wrong direction and you'll leave with more significant body parts punctured," Louis smirked. "You're not getting out of this boardroom without signing this deal.""You're fucking insane," Amerigo said, clearly disgusted with the sight of blood which he was looking down at."Downright I am!" Louis grinned which was dripping in satisfaction. "Look, your brother was pissing me off, so he asked for it." "Now as for the meeting," He addressed and abandoned all decorum, sitting on top of the table, "there is no meeting, you baboons are too uncivilized to be spoken to in a civil manner."Amadore removed his gun, "You motherfucker!" Religiously ignoring the man, he turned his ministrations upon the person before him, "I know forty-five per cent of your business has been allegedly taken by your brother, Zayn. Twenty-five per cent is on your father's name which none of you can get because he is missing. The remaining thirty per cent is actually under the four of you, and is being handled as well as a rabbit would handle a Lion." "Ahh. I'm hurting!" Amato exclaimed bringing attention to himself to which Jacob was going to move to help the man out but Louis shrugged and gestured away carelessly with his hand, "He’s just in pain, ignore him.""As I was saying, constant police raids forces the four of you to spend the money you make to silence the police department." Louis tutted. "Now if you don't want to lose the remaining part also sign these papers." He threw a file with neatly stacked papers on the table. All the men in the room gave him a puzzled look, "What's in those papers?"He jumped out from the table behind Amadeo and placed the gun which he had shot Amato with, on his head and the panic Louis felt brought a wave of memories. "It's written that you idiots are signing over the fifty-five per cent to us. The Styles family." He briefed, "And in return will double the profit you morons make.""Thirty percent which you own and twenty five percent which will eventually come down to you if we get involved." He clarified.The four sons of Marcus Castelli looked at him with their mouths open, "What?! And what about us?! Are we going to work as your slaves?!" "Sounds like a negotiable suggestion, I am positive even Harry will be pleased," he approved, "but you arses wouldn't agree, right?""No, we won't!" Amato snapped even though he was injured, the idiot had guts, Louis had to give him that. Rolling his eyes in boredom, Louis grinned, "I liked you better when you were moaning about pain.""To answer your question, extremely annoying man who I should've killed, regardless of how much I approve of the idea, No." Louis briefed in clarity. "You guys will be allowed to run your business but under us. And will give us forty-five per cent of the total profit you make that's all but the business is under us."The Castelli sons looked at each other carefully and read the whole document. "All right, we agree." Amadeo finally spoke up and with that everyone in the boardroom was stunned at the vigour and ruthlessness the blue-eyed man carried in his veins which perfectly rivalled the Crime Lord.
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STREAM TWO OF US BY LOUIS TOMLINSON
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The sun shone brightly through the clouds and violently upon the grass which moved through the smudged sky. The stands were filled with soft glamourous hues showcasing the lovely colours which draped most of the social elites who had taken their seats to watch the horses run through and place bets on them. By the time Anne's birthday rolled in, Harry was much more healthy and had decided to attend the race and have lunch on the rooftop lounge before the extravagant party. Louis like always had been silent until he excused himself to use the washroom when Harry averted himself to speak with another crime boss leaving the family to their own devices. On returning from the washroom, Louis' eyes frantically searched for his husband and approached him immediately when he saw him talking to another man in a brown suit.
Seeing him approach, Harry made a hasty introduction and stepped away to talk to Louis. "On which horse are you betting?" He asked. "Black Thunder. It never loses." Harry replied, pointing at the horse which was shown on the TV screen. "How much?" "Hundred grand." "Do you trust me?" "Louis." He warned but the brunet was swift to answer. "Bet it on Lightning Fury instead." "You might as well ask me to set my wallet on fire. It never wins." Liam intervened immediately, as soon as he heard this. "Louis, I come here every weekend, the horse is a menace." "Then trust me for once." He assured him with confidence in his eyes. "I already feel that I'm going to regret this," Harry muttered and turned to Liam, "Stake the money on Lightning Fury." Liam shook his head in disapproval of the situation and walked away from the Mob Boss while he bidded. "Who are we betting on?" Desmond questioned when the two came over to rejoin them, as the betting pool was drawing into a closure. "Lighting Fury," Harry answered and took a seat beside Louis. His father gave him an odd look but Louis answered instead, "Trust me." Desmond shook his head in disbelief and looked at Louis sceptically, "You can never get rid of your habits, can you?" "Oh come on, I trust my son in law, I'm sure we'll win," Anne stated in a matter of fact manner to her husband who chuckled in agreement. Louis shrugged and gestured to the track which was going to begin. The shots fired and everyone's attention pooled down to the race tracks. The next shot fired marked the beginning of the race. The dust swivelled while the horses galloped in the direction the jockey steered them in. And in less than a blink of an eye, most of the horses were in sync with one another except for Lightning Fury which was a few steps behind causing Harry to look at Louis in implication who just mouthed a wait. Within the next few seconds, the entire picture of the race changed and Lightning Fury went further ahead leaving all the other horses back and swept through the finish line, initiating a wave of astonishment through the crowd. "Impossible." Liam breathed. With a smirk of victory on his face, Louis turned to the gang leader. Harry clearly looked impressed at the feat accomplished and murmured a quiet, "Impressed, Mister Tomlinson." "You're welcome." Louis smiled sweetly at him.
* * *
The theme colour of the party was wine red and since Louis didn't own any formals corresponding to that colour and neither did he buy any for the event, he decided to go ahead with his wine red sweater with a pair of black jeans and boots. To top it all off what he was contemplating on was to place a soft pink flower crown on top of his messy hair.Looking at the mirror, Louis was still unsure whether to put the crown or not when Harry walked him and caught him like a deer was caught in headlights. "What are you wearing on top of your head?" Harry questioned, clearly intrigued but walked further ahead to examine it himself. "I don't want to wear it anyway," Louis discarded hastily and turned away from him remove it. "Wait." Harry reprimanded and placed it neatly on his hair, adjusting the angle carefully, "Looks good." "Let's go?" He questioned the shorter man who just meekly nodded. When they did reach the party, it was exactly as they expected, extravagant. Glamour was in the air with bling draping through the banquet hall. Suits and gowns were draped by almost everyone which was why Louis felt a bit naked in comparison when he entered with his husband who just leant down to whisper, "You're looking perfect, doll, stop worrying so much." And much to Louis' ego's dismay, his words worked like a charm instigating him to clutch his arm tighter. A total three hours of incessant chatter, socializing and forced smiles later was when Louis found Harry again talking to his father and another woman almost Desmond's age. Effortlessly sliding beside Desmond, Louis was given a quick introduction to the lady. "Louis, this is my sister, Veronica Scarpino," Desmond said and turned to the blonde woman beside him, "Veronica, this is my son, Louis." "We finally meet, Louis," she said with a smile ghosting over her dark painted lips. "The young Louis Tomlinson who can do anything for his family." The intonation was satisfying enough for Louis to be creeped out by the woman in red which was the exact moment she decided to strengthen the belief and flipped to Harry, "Don't mind me saying this, Harry," she said looking at him meaningfully, "but men like him should be kept with care or something very awful might happen." "If anything has to happen it needs to get through me first." Harry told her with an evidently forced smile on his face and took Louis' hand, "Come on, there's someone I need you to meet. Excuse us." Harry directed him away from them and took him away. "That was really weird," Louis told him. "You can say that again." He muttered in riposte. "Why have I never met her?" "No opportunity, I guess, she avoids our family like the plague," Harry informed him. "Why?" "She is dad's older sister, she thought after she birthed a son, he would become the head of the family," Harry told him. "Clearly, that didn't happen," Louis commented to which Harry responded with a nod, "and she's still not over it?" "Nope." "Harry?" Pausing his walk in between, he turned towards Louis, "If she isn't over it, doesn't she plot against you?" Harry grinned at the way his brain worked, "That's the last thing you should worry about, Louis." Louis gave him a small smile and shook his head in adherence. "Troye is there, you can stay with him," Harry informed him, "I'm going somewhere else." "Where?" "The apartment on the roof actually, for some peace and quiet." "I'll come along," he volunteered uncharacteristically. "You want to?" "Yeah."
* * *
Switching the lights on in the penthouse apartment on the top of the hotel, Harry let Louis inside who went ahead to the minibar and poured in a drink for the two of them. The curly haired man changed the setting of the mini swimming pool and set it up on heating. Removing his boots off, he folded the fabric of his slacks and swung his legs into the pool while Louis got him a drink.No sooner did he arrive then Louis followed suite and the two were drinking, as the stars looked down upon them. Drinking quietly to the sounds of the wind and the slight ripples of the water whilst the silence which hung between them grew more comfortable. Suddenly, Harry felt that all his memories with Louis in such situations returned to him. They had been locked up in comfortable silences quite many times and neither of them was willing to talk in such situations instead they just melted into the atmosphere in one another's company. Comfortable silence is so overrated. Why won't you ever be the first one to break? "Tell me how did you make Lightning Fury win? Did you bribe the jockey?" Harry's voice queried, extracting a pleased look on Louis' face. "The most important rule about betting in such a kind of a race is that you should not bet on the horse instead bet on the jockey," Louis elaborated, "when I went to the washroom I heard one man speaking to another man. They had bought all the other jockeys except for Lightning Fury's. Thus-" "-Lightning Fury won." Harry guessed. "Exactly!" "But who was the man?" Louis hesitated to give Zayn's name but thought it wouldn't be a problem. "Do you know that the Castelli heirs have a half-brother?" "I've heard rumours about it, Marcus had an affair with an American woman and thus the son." "Yea. That's true, apparently, he loved the American woman and slept with her when she had come for an exchange program to Italy, the girl got pregnant. Ass completely denied it and left her to the dogs, got married to an Italian woman had the four idiots. A few years later Italian woman was diagnosed with brain cancer." Louis explained vibrantly. "So the dog thought now I can get back with my American sweetheart. He found her, she had a son named Zayn who was Amadore's age. The boy had more brains than the combined brains of the Castelli sons. She didn't want Marcus in her life but Marcus filed a case and was given permission to spend time with his son. Marcus provided everything to Zayn but the son couldn't forgive what his father had done." "How do you know all this?" 'Because he was my right hand and I lost my virginity to him?' He thought but gave another answer. "Zayn was a good friend. I met him when I was eight. He is a lawyer now. Formerly, he stayed in America but right now he is in Italy." "Mob boss' son and a lawyer. Impressive." "Don't underestimate him, he is very clever and if you had not gotten the Castelli empire under our control indirectly, he would be a great threat," Louis said to him and kept the glass beside him.
"Why don't you still talk to Zayn?" Louis looked at him like Harry had just said something very foreign, "I don't know, I thought you'd never-" "-Louis," he cut him off, "that's not something I'm going to have a problem with." "I..err..I never.." Louis was clearly incoherent about his thoughts and looked away back to the pool of water before him. Why won't you ever say what you want to say? "Do you want another drink?" Louis questioned in order to avert the awkwardness. "No, I'm good." "I'll get one for myself." When Louis returned, Harry was still in the same position, staring at the stars in deep thought. Sliding beside him, the younger man continued to sip from his glass. The Mob Boss was the first to break the ice. "Don't you think comfortable silence is very overrated?" Louis snapped his head so hard, he thought he broke a bone there, "Why do you say so?" "Because at times words are needed and nobody is willing to start the conversation. Don't you think?" Louis decided not to comment just peer at him without saying anything. "How long are we going to stay like this?" Harry asked. "Stay like what?" "You don't try to keep me in your life and when I do try to make the decision of freeing you, you ask me not to do it." Harry said, his eyes on Louis who had his gaze fixed on his lap. "When I was sixteen, I got into the church choir, I really enjoyed music and learning to play new instruments." Harry narrated to the man. "My dad got to know about this and when I said I wanted to get into music instead of business to my dad, he brought in all my notebooks filled with song lyrics I had written and the other instruments I played and burnt them." "He said something I never forgot," he continued, "Care is another form of weakness. The minute you begin to care about something or someone, you give them authority to rule over you." "And I care for you so much that it's beginning to hurt," when these words were said Louis was forced to look up at the Crime Lord, "and although I care, Louis, I'm very good at cutting people from my life so could you please tell me what you want?" Louis refused to make eye contact, the only thing reverberating in his mind was, 'Ask him about the photographs, question him about it, he won't lie.'"I want to be with you." "Louis, there isn't any compulsion from my side, if you do love someone else or you want to be with someone else, I'll let you go." Louis' fingers curled into fists while his eyes began to burn with the tears accumulating in them. "I do want to be with someone and I think I do like someone too." Pivoting himself towards the Mafia Boss, he crawled to Harry and straddled his lap, "that someone is you, it's always you." "Do you have any idea how difficult this is for me? To keep myself away from you? To not give up like a damsel in distress?" Louis snapped. "I want you so much but it's so difficult, this is so difficult. I don't want to leave you, I want you but you cheat on me," the last part was left unsaid but Harry quickly flipped him over and caged him in between his arms. "I cannot think of anybody but you and if you really want me Louis," Harry said, rubbing his fingers against his wet cheeks, "open up your mind and maybe we could start again." "All over again?" Louis questioned with hiccups in between. "Yes," he affirmed, "but do you not have a problem with that?" "Proper starting again? The wooing? The dinners? Everything?" "I'll do anything and everything in my power for you." "Anything and everything?" "Anything and everything."
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The cold night air hit Louis' face when Harry opened the roof of the Ferrari they were in. The temperature was dropping steadily as the night grew thicker. The roads had been wiped clean except for their car and two SUVs aligned behind them. They had been out on their customary Friday dates when the mob boss informed him that he had a surprise for his husband and it was high time he showed it to him. Before pulling up to the so-called gift, Harry directed Louis to wrap a scarf he kept in the dashboard around his eyes. "Harry?" Louis' voice came in, as Harry guided him through the manor. "Where are we?" Walking through the foyer, Harry's hands had slid into Louis', kissing the side of his neck, "Our new home, doll.""I wanna see!" Louis' enthusiasm came through while Harry's attention was divided between his husband and the footsteps which he heard from the distance. "Not yet, doll," he kissed the back of his neck and lead him onto the staircase. "Why?" Louis whined, "Harry, don't be mean!""Doll, you and I both know that," Harry began, tracing a finger down his spine with the other hand quickly typing furiously on his phone to Jacob, "this isn't mean.""Is it, doll?""Yeah, yeah. I know. I know. Yada. Yada." Louis shrugged, feigning indifference but unable to remove the blush on his face. Guiding him through the hallways, they paused in the living room where Harry noticed the vase at the corner move. "This is the living room.""I can perfectly see how it is with this scarf on, Harry." Louis bit off sarcastically."Knew there was something special about you, doll," Harry responded with the same enthusiasm and took his hand, switching on the vinyl player. "Come on, dance with me." Taking Louis' hand, Harry placed his own on his waist and pulled him close to his person. "You're weird," Louis responded and hugged the Mobster after placing a kiss on his cheek and leaned on his chest while they moved with one another in sync with the music. As Harry glided along with his husband, his eyes trained carefully at the person near the vase who was hidden by the curtains. If the man thought he was being subtle about his presence, he had been gravely mistaken. Harry was aware that the former attack wasn't the last time and although they had no leads on whom the culprit was, something the Mobster was affirmative about was that there would be a repetition of the incident and this time, he intended to make the person pay.Closing into Louis, he made sure whatever would occur wouldn't be before the eyes of his husband. Innocent or not. Whether he had seen harsher violence or not, he wasn't going let his doll see him in a state where he wasn't presentable or cleaning something up which he usually never did. The blood, the beatings, the raw fights which he was so proficient at were things he found too cumbersome for his liking and for his doll, he disregarded them completely until absolutely required and it was clear that this was one amongst those few situations. Twirling Louis around on his toes, Harry took special care of his boy while removing a dagger from the inside of his blazer pocket. Gracefully turning the man and letting him lean on his arm, he sauntered towards the vase and quickly threw Louis away from his person and in these few seconds in which he rolled out of his arms, Harry's arm leaned and brutally stabbed the man on his shoulder and stuffed his handkerchief into his mouth to prevent any sound escaping from his throat. Switching his hands, he let Louis take his other hand and twirl to the music while his right hand grew busy due to choking the man by the vase. Feeling blood trickle down his hand, Harry thought the dirt which was on his hand was satisfactory enough. Wiping the blood which dared to touch his skin, he threw the man off the already open window with a serve. The man landed with loud thud on the ground which clearly caught his husband's attention, "What was that?""Don't worry honey, I'll check," he smiled and looked over the bloodied body which tainted their new property. Locking his eyes with Jacob and Reus, he gestured for them to clean up the mess and retrieve all the information they could about him. Returning to Louis he looked pleasingly at the blindfolded man, "It was just a cat that broke a few pots, love, nothing for you to worry about," he gave a deadly grin and kissed Louis' forehead, as though nothing even occurred.
* * *
The following two weeks after Louis and Harry's conversation had been what the blue eyed man called peace.Harry was the most perceptive man to exist and the way he understood Louis was almost phenomenal. The attraction between the two of them was undeniable and the synchronisation even more.Regardless of what he did, he always had a very keen eye on Louis. He was a little more conscious, a little more gentle and a little more caring towards him and Louis thrived in this attention. The soft kisses when he went to work and snuggles after he came back and the overdose of attention always made Louis feel better.Harry was always willing to give him affection which Louis very enthusiastically returned. Their relationship had improved, significantly and this was everything Louis had ever wanted. Nudging himself out of these thoughts, Louis was smiling and pulled himself up to go and see to the person who rang the bell."Sir, there's a package for you." The butler called out for him."I'll be right there." Louis answered and quickly ran down to retrieve the package.Handing it over to him, Louis removed the brown envelope and saw a CD.NiLouis felt his heartbeat race faster. Niall only contacted him if he had dirt on Harry. And everytime he did, Louis broke a little from the inside. Shivering, he placed the CD into the DvD player and as soon as it played, he felt his world crumble down.
* * *
Gliding through the halls of the office, Louis didn't stop to pause and greet anybody he knew in the Styles Tower, he just continued to race against everyone to see Harry as soon as possible which was why he just rammed through his cabin door without an announcement and saw him talking to Jacob."I'll talk to you in a while." Harry nodded and dismissed the man who followed the instructions and exited the cabin."Hi," he smiled brightly at Louis and got up from his seat to walk towards him, "how come you're here? What's up?"Louis peered at him with his nose bright red and his eyes puffy. Noticing the distinct difference, Harry's eyebrows furrowed in worry. Cupping his cheeks, "Doll, what's wrong?"The blue eyed man bent his head and bit his lips quietly to prevent himself from crying, "Where were you last Friday?""Venice, you know that, I had gone there to finalize the land of the hotel we're building there, doll," Harry answered looking down at him and kissed his cheek, "but you know that, right?""Why are you lying?" Louis questioned, sniffing and like words were inhibiting his tears, the tears just fell. "Louis, what's wrong, I'm not lying, I was in Venice with Liam." He reiterated and wiped his tears off his cheeks. "If you were there then what the hell is this!?" He questioned throwing the CD on the floor. "What's in that, Love?""Why don't you tell me, Harry?!" He retorted back.But before Harry could even run the disc, a pair of officers rammed in through his cabin with no warning whatsoever. "You're under arrest, Styles," Fleming stepped forward. Louis didn't waste time in wiping his tears and turning towards the police officer for confrontation. "What for?" Harry questioned with a roll of his eyes."We have found evidence of drug crates in your warehouse. Very, very incriminating evidence." Fleming smiled a very evil grin. "There's a warrant issued too, you're under arrest."
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The grim atmosphere in the Styles Manor had everyone's worry present. The head of the family was arrested and such a situation was not only unacceptable but also showcased the incapability of the foundation on which the family stood. In three hundred years of business, it was the first time the head was arrested.Adding on that the court date was preponed did not appease to their worries. By the looks of it, Fleming wanted to lock Harry up as soon as possible and was doing everything in his power to assure that was the same course which was followed."The drugs aren't ours," Liam told Louis, "none of the crates has a serpent insignia.""I'll get the lawyers on the case, we need to figure out how to solve this," Louis looked towards Liam, "but we need to know who snitched.""Yes," Liam agreed."Let's go, there's a lawyer, I know," Louis told him and looked at Stephan who nodded his head and gestured him to go and get his work done.Moving into the car, Louis directed Liam to a cafe which was situated on the outskirts of the city."You know this place, Louis?""We'll find our lawyer here." He told him and walked into the chaotic place which was bustling with life.As Louis strolled inside, he collided with a tiny girl. Before Louis could pick up the kid, Liam knelt down and picked her up and took her in his arms."Hey," Liam smiled and greeted the kid who smiled strangely at him and told the underboss, "I don't know you.""Neither do I but the way you were running you could hurt yourself, sweety.""Yeah, I know. Even Papa got tired I think, that's why he didn't find me." She agreed, nodding her head."Viola!" A man chased behind her and kept the tray he carried on the counter and approached them."I am so sorry," the man with messy hair apologized and took the girl from Liam's arms. "I'm Shawn, you guys can take a seat." He smiled."We're not here to eat," Louis told him giving a sweet smile, "I need to speak to Zayn. Could you get him for me?""I'll take you to him," he smiled and looked around, "Steven, take this order to table number nine."Leading him through the cafe, he headed towards the kitchen and into the backyard and finally took him to the garage which was lined with tools and two legs were all they could see underneath a very old classic Red Mustang."Zayn?" He called out. "Someone is here to see you.""I'll be right out," the reply came before the lean figure of the tattooed man came into vision.Draped in a loose black tank top and very skinny jeans, his hair was held by a red headband. Drop dead gorgeous was what this man was, at least Liam thought so."Oh, you're here." He muttered sarcastically but then immediately took not of Shawn's presence. "Take Viola and go back to the house, Shawn. I'll talk to them.""Why on earth are you even here?" The man questioned with a very chapped tone.
"I need a lawyer and some information."
"Why don't you snap your fingers since there are bodyguards at your side," he said gesturing towards Liam, "you could get those two too.""I need a good one," Louis clarified, "someone who'll assuredly win."
"Then throw some money."
"Harry is in jail.""I wonder why?" Zayn responded sarcastically and then turned towards him, "Maybe because he is a Mob Boss.""You do know that you were and very much are a part of the Mob.""Find someone else to do your dirty work." Zayn snapped and turned away to look at his car instead."Zayn, I know you know something or at least you know someone who does," Louis told grabbing his arm for him to face the shorter man."He deserves it.""I will not stay here and listen to you slander my friend's name when you can't hold up your own." Liam snapped in between."Oh," Zayn grinned dryly, "your handbag talks too?"Louis pursed his lips against one another and looked at Liam with a sigh. Walking out of the garage, he called out to the second in command, "Do what you have to do, Liam.""What the fuck do you mean by that!?" Zayn screeched at his best friend and then flipped to Liam, "You think you're really tough, huh? Well, you don't know who-"That was the last plea heard of the lawyer before the garage door shut down and Louis removed earphones from his pocket to listen to some music while Liam did his job, convince Zayn to talk.Which took some time. Which was an hour and a half. Which was quite a long time.When they came out, Zayn's face looked quite flushed and Liam was running his hand through his hair in an attempt to make them look more presentable.Louis didn't want to know what or more specifically how did Liam convince Zayn, he was just happy to know that the man was willing to comply."Carlos Swenson," Zayn grumbled unhappily, "He is the guy who snitched. Fleming knew I disliked Harry because of obvious reasons," he said looking in clear implication towards Louis who just nodded in understanding, "so he asked me and Swenson to join in. I refused, Swenson didn't.""And the drugs were out there by Fleming too?" Louis questioned. "Yep, alongside Swenson."
"Thank you.""Louis," Zayn told him with a warning tone, "he is not worth it, you know that.""I'll decide that myself." Louis smiled a very forceful smile and turned on his heel to leave.
* * *
"I didn't do it!" A blonde haired man who was identified as Carlos Swenson replied to Liam."We know you did so stop pretending," Louis said casually throwing his head back on the chair of the room they were locked in."So what if I did? What're'ya gonna do about it?" he asked looking at him.Louis sighed and got up from his seat, looking at the despicable man in ripped blue jeans and a pale white t-shirt. His behaviour clearly stated that unless he was threatened appropriately, he wasn't going to open his mouth to give any sort of useless information.Removing a swiss knife from his jean pocket, Louis forcefully hauled his neck back and placed the knife in front of it."Now talk," he commanded. Swenson looked at Liam with weary eyes," He's not gonna actually use the knife right?""Right?" He called again."He killed Marcus Castelli think about it yourself.""I don't know where he got the drugs but I was the one to put it in the warehouse.""Does anyone else know about this?" Louis interrogated him and then stressed, "Somebody who can prove Harry's innocence.""Yea somebody does know, God." He replied sarcastically to which Louis pressed the knife more harshly against his neck, allowing blood to gently gush out from the minor cut."His officers do know," he muttered."You are useless." Louis addressed, walking towards Liam. "His info is useless. Significantly useless. Fleming's officers won't go up against him.""I disagree to that," Swenson said stretching his neck. "There's this guy Eros Ernesto, he was completely ticked off with what Fleming did." Swenson now had Louis' rapt and thorough attention. "He believes it was the same as what Harry does and makes Fleming no different. In fact, it seems he is staying away from the case because he thinks it's wrong to frame a man who did nothing.""Does he know Harry is a mafia boss?" Liam asked him.Swenson snorted and gave him an amused expression, "Even the trees of Messina know that, why wouldn't he?""But he still supports Harry on this case?" Louis asked. Swenson nodded his head in agreement."Let's leave we need to pay this man a visit.""But before that," Louis looked at Liam, giving out orders, "I need every single detail on Ernesto. From his favourite dish to his high school secrets, everything."While Louis and Liam were discussing in hushed whispers, Swenson slipped his fingers to his phone and quickly dialled Fleming's number.Casually Louis looked back towards Swenson to let his gaze fall upon the phone in his hand and as a reflex fired his gun at him without hesitation."Louis!" Liam said with widened eyes."If he could betray us once, why wouldn't he do it again?" He shot back. "He was dialling Fleming. Let's get out of here. Set his body and the entire place on fire."This man was sharper than Fleming had estimated. He heard the part of the conversation through the phone call and suddenly it felt that just moving the dates of the court wasn't enough.
* * *
The entire restaurant had been abandoned. Silence ghosted over the cushioned chairs and wooden tables which were placed through the granite floor which was adorned with fringed silver curtains through the division.Sitting on the table on the first floor, Louis waited for the officer to come by. And at the exact time which he had proposed to meet, the red-haired man walked in. He looked young. Very young. At most, he could be in his early thirties."Officer Eros Ernesto," he introduced and sat down."You would like something to drink? Maybe bourbon?" He offered politely. Ernesto rose an eyebrow, "I am sure as hell you wouldn't call me here to buy me a drink."Shrugging, Louis took a sip from his own glass of wine and came down to the heart of the matter."I've heard that you feel my husband isn't guilty of the crime." He started.The redhead looked at him with scepticism etched on his face, "Even if I am. Why should I help your husband? It's good he has been finally caught, he is a mob boss after all.""I will not affirm or negate that statement," Louis said letting the glass clink against the surface of the table when he placed it, "Harry doesn't make endeavours like the other men in the business. Just because you have that label doesn't necessarily make you a bad person.""You can have your views on him and they are compromised, nothing you say is going to help you negotiate with me at least," Ernesto responded to him," I'm not going to be bought with your money.""Who said anything about money?" He questioned him. "Look, I have observed your skills. You don't deserve this position in the force. I can get you to Fleming's position Ernesto.""So you want to buy my position and loyalty?""Don't make it sound so bad!" Louis told with a fake pout. "I'm just removing Fleming from the chessboard so you can get the position.""And I should side with you for this?" he retorted incredulously."Getting my husband out is a piece of cake. Harry isn't going to prison even if the sky comes down or the world goes high. That I guarantee," His response came out in quite a careless fashion," but I am giving you an offer to change your future. To get an influential position in your force, to secure that beautiful house you are buying your wife, to get your son into that school you've always dreamt of.""How do you know about-""Don't think too hard about it," Louis laughed condescendingly."If you don't want to join us, I have no issues but when Harry gets out, you will be the first one he's coming after. On my recommendation, of course.""He wouldn't get out," he told with confidence.Louis let out another sinister laughter, "I was a crime boss once, my right hand was caught for six murders and he got out of the case even without a trial.""You are lying. That's what you are good at.""I don't care about what you think Ernesto. I want my Husband out that's the end of it. If you want to give me evidence against Fleming you can do it and you have my word that you'll get everything you ask for." He addressed with determination in his eyes. He stood up from her seat. "I'm giving you twenty-four hours to decide your fate. Get treated like crap by Fleming while Harry doesn't get jailed or turn against Fleming, get his position, a secure transaction with us and Harry still gets out.""If Styles is going to get out eventually then why are you giving me this offer?""Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out Mister Ernesto." he smiled seductively. "Twenty four hours, choose wisely."When Louis walked out of the corner they were seated in, Liam approached him with a question written on his face, "Why do we need his help if we can save Harry without him?""Because Fleming is an everlasting problem. If we get Ernesto on our side then in the future the police department will never disturb us again." Louis justified and sat into the Mercedes which awaited his arrival."So you are actually aiming at two birds with one stone."
"Exactly.""Louis?" Liam called, grasping his attention as the blue-eyed man expected the next question and looked at him in anticipation, "You were a crime-""I don't want to talk about that, Liam."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The silence in the atmosphere weighed like a sword on a waist. Heavy and death threatening. The occupants of the car were committing themselves to everything except for one another. Their gazes refused to meet one another and words weren't willing to address any of the circumstances which occurred. Everything had proceeded too easily. Ernesto had given a statement against Fleming and there was video evidence of the police officer admitting that he had placed the drugs in the warehouse, resulting in the immediate release of the Mobster. Harry had no idea what Louis underwent to get him out of prison like the way Liam told him but he was proud of having Louis by his side through thick and thin. On seeing his hand placed on the seat, Harry put his own on top of it and felt his husband turn his hand only to intertwine their fingers which eventually prompted Harry to take a step forward and kissed the back of Louis' hand, initiating the man to look at him but with a sadness which Harry couldn't decipher the reason of. No sooner did they step into the house, Louis turned towards him and just stared at Harry. He didn't mutter a word while the Mobster just took the man's hand and brought him closer to himself. "Do you have any idea how grateful I am to you?" "Are you always grateful to the people you cheat on?" Louis threw back in riposte and that broke Harry's bubble of assumptions. "What do you mean, doll?""Harry, I'm tired," he said exasperatedly, sighing, "do you really not know what you did?""Louis, baby," he began cupping his cheeks, "what's wrong?"Louis walked up to the DVD and switched on the television. The video which began to play was the Mobster with a woman barely clothed straddling him while he reached out to her to pull her closer and hastily placed his lips on her own.The video concluded and Louis was looking at Harry, who had a stoic expression looming over his visage, for any sort of an explanation. Without a word, Harry went up to his room and left Louis in the lounge who did not know how to react to the sudden series of actions.In a few minutes, Harry emerged from his room with another CD in his hand and handed it over to Louis which had the words 'Chad's bachelor party- 2013'. "Play it."Louis did as he was told and the CD began with Harry in the same outfit with the same woman doing the exact same thing with the same background. They were photocopies of one another."Besides the fact that this happened before I married you, that CD is not authentic because I wasn't even in Venice on that Friday." Harry educated and further continued to explain to his husband, "I was in Messina and I lied to you because I was overseeing the final design of our house."Confusion came down upon him in ripples of drizzling rain and a thunderstorm all at once. Louis just blinked at Harry, how could such a situation even arise was something he couldn't fathom. Before he could tread further on this thought spiral, Harry switched the television off and took Louis' hands in his own. "Louis, I've never cheated on you." He told him with sincerity dripping from his words. His expression had softened considerably, "I've never slept with anybody in the past two years."Louis freed himself from Harry's hand but reached back to hold him and lead him to his room. "Sit." He said and opened his wardrobe to remove a worn out adidas shoe box and opened it to reveal envelopes. Many envelopes. Which Louis hastily opened and poured the contents out. Photograph after photograph stumbled down the covers and Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he inspected each of them with a scrutinising gaze. "Are they not real too?!"Harry put the box away and looked at him, cupping his cheek with one hand and holding his hand in the other, "Louis I have no idea who has sent these to you but that just looks like me but I've never done that."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Louis anxiously tapped his foot against the floorboard, he had been waiting for his friends for twenty minutes. They had decided that they'd meet in the cafe which Niall owned and when he arrived, he saw no sign of the two of them. Shawn who he now knew was Niall's husband had politely asked him to wait, justifying that their absence was an immediate call from a business in the city which should've been over at this point of time.Unlocking his phone when he decided the time he waited was enough and that exact moment Zayn decided to grace him with his presence. The blonde man who joined them was dressed in khakis and a white vest with his biceps on clear display alongside a checkered shirt tied over his torso while Zayn had thrown in his signature black skinny jeans with a black t-shirt."Louis," the blonde man hovered to him to pull him into an embrace which he returned quite enthusiastically and sat back down on his chair with Zayn already rolling his eyes in disapproval. "Zayn," Louis addressed and handed a bright white envelope to him, "thank you."Zayn snatched it and pulled open the seal to see a cheque with Harry Styles' signature scribbled at the bottom. "It's blank.""Exactly." Louis rose his eyebrows in implication. "Not bad, I'm impressed." Zayn shrugged with a lopsided smile and turned to Louis. "Now can we leave?"Louis shook his head in negation and diverted his attention to Niall, ignoring that the cafe was getting filtered out of people, as the night grew even colder and harsher. Sliding into his jacket, Louis pulled it closer to his body and turned to his coffee which Niall had asked Shawn to bring for them. "Louis." The Irishman began and quietly slid his signature white envelope to Louis, "we have evidence, you can end this.""He isn't gonna listen to you, Ni." Zayn dissuaded him sharply, "You're wasting your breath." Niall promptly ignored the black-haired man's protest and returned to his friend's side to continue on persuading him, "Desmond will listen to you and agree to the divorce without the bastard ever knowing, you don't need to even see him.""I love him," Louis told the two who were seated before him. Zayn choked on his coffee and Niall just stared at him like Louis had asked the blonde to donate his kidney to buy an iPhone. "You don't," Niall stated with a smile trying to catch the joke but there wasn't any, as Louis looked at him dead in the eye with absolutely no sign of mirth on his face. "You aren't serious, are you?" Zayn questioned him, "He has cheated on you for fuck's sake.""But I do, I care and I'm sure I'm in love with him." "When the fuck did that happen?" Niall chipped, "When he was never present when you need him or when he was fucking other people?!""That's my husband." He interjected quite enthusiastically. "That was your boyfriend too," Niall reminded him and suddenly Louis' eyes grew cold, "A boyfriend you loved and almost died for? Rings a bell? You loved him too?""Was the CD I sent you not evidence enough?" Niall snapped and quickly got up from his place to retrieve another set of photographs to put it before him in a blink of an eye. "Still love him?" He asked him and slumped on the seat. While Louis inspected the pictures before him, he didn't notice that Harry had strolled into the cafe.Effortlessly, he pulled the chair out and sat down next Louis. Smooth. And the way Niall and Zayn's faces changed their features it didn't seem like something they expected at all. "I haven't obviously been introduced to the two of you, I am Harry Styles," he began with a grim smile on his lips, turning to Zayn, "your ex-boyfriend's husband."Zayn gulped. He was intimidated by nobody but Harry's presence, his demeanour, everything was so graceful yet authoritative. "Even I want to have a look at my pictures," Harry said rubbing his hands. "Since you have put in so much effort to break my marriage, let's have a look."Harry went through the pictures in the most cavalier manner, his fingers flipping them away and casually tossing them away as he looked through them. At that point, the cafe had filled in with Harry's men who were randomly placed around them. Removing his gun out, he rested it on the table and handed the photographs to Jacob who placed it in the envelope he held. "Now, give me one good reason I shouldn't shoot you right now for what you did.""Wait up," Zayn said holding his hands up, "What the fuck is going on? I'm not understanding shit."Raising his eyebrows, he looked at Louis, "Why don't you explain it to your friend by asking Niall if any of those pictures or if any pictures he has ever sent have been real?" There was a pregnant pause, Zayn shifted his attention to Niall, Louis was staring at the blonde man with an expression from which nothing could be deciphered from, "Niall? Are any of these real?"Niall refused to make eye contact with Louis, his gaze constant on the surface of the table. "The longer you take to answer, the more prone I am to picking up the gun and nailing you with bullets," Harry informed him, playing with the handle of his gun."No.""What?" Zayn let out. "What do you mean no?!""None of them are real.""Why'd you do it?" Louis croaked, his voice was breaking and at that moment Harry knew that was all his husband could take. He was breaking inside and he was sure that very soon, he would be shedding tears."Because he doesn't deserve you. Because-""-I want to leave." Louis interrupted. "Reus take Louis to the car," Harry ordered and looked at his husband in implication. "Don't kill him, please," Louis said keeping his hand on Harry's shoulder to which he just grunted in riposte and with that the blue-eyed man just left their presence."Contrary to what he believes, I won't kill you," Harry sighed and retrieved his gun, "although, I honestly should.""You've fucked up a lot, Niall," the mob boss remarked, "you've cost us two years. Two years of nothing but miscommunication.""But I'm not going to kill you, Niall, that's reducing your suffering," Harry told him seriously, "he is hurt by what you did and clearly doesn't trust you anymore and that's revenge enough for me.""He hates you and I know how much you treasure him, Niall," Harry said with a glint of smug in his eyes, "and the worst thing for a brother is to see the person he wants to protect the most to avoid him.""You seem like the type," Harry smirked and rose from his seat and clarified, "guilt eating, feelings hurting, can't sleep in the night type." "Nice meeting you, Niall. Hope I never have the fortune of seeing you again." Harry smiled an extremely condescending smile and left."And Zayn," he retraced his step, "Liam will meet you tomorrow, I have a proposition for you."
** *
"What'd you tell them?" Louis hiccups, as soon as he sat in the limo."Nothing important," Harry shrugged while shaking his head, "nothing you need to worry about."The rest of the ride continued in absolute silence. Louis didn't want to talk and all Harry wanted was to talk to him. To let him say what was on his mind. To reduce the pain he felt in his heart due to the betrayal of his friend. "Louis?""Do you still want me in your life?" Louis asked. "Louis, you didn't know, it wasn't your fault." "We lost two years, Harry," He told him seriously, "it's not a small period of time.""Louis, I know it isn't a small period of time," he told him, "but we can make this work, Lou. You know we can.""How?" Louis retaliated back towards him with tears staining his cheeks, "I don't know anything about you, I don't even know what your favourite colour is nor do you know anything at all about me? Do you know the heist in Argentina was carried out under my supervision?”“We could have had kids, Harry or I could've at least been carrying them right now!" Louis' lips were trembling, at that point, he had begun to chew on his lip while tears continued their descent down his cheeks. Harry didn't respond, he slid next to the man and adroitly manoeuvred him onto his lap and quickly slithered his arms around him and held him close while Louis continued to sob vehemently on his chest.Harry began to rub his back to calm the man down and Louis' sobs did gentle down, although he was still taking in deep breaths. The Mobster was still holding him but changed the course of his actions and let his hand tenderly trace through his hair. "I don't know anything about you, that's true," Harry told him, "neither do you know me to down the grain of who I am but Louis," he continued, "we can learn, we can learn about each other. It doesn't matter, Louis. I'm not going anywhere and I know you aren't either.Why are you worried about time, Louis? We have that." He kissed him on the top of his head. "Also, children," he approached the topic with a chuckle, "I'm glad you've actually thought of them because I want them, probably five or eight?""Eight?!" Louis squeaked. "Why? Do you want more?""Eight are too many, Haz." He said peering at him. "Five?""Two.""Absolutely, not." Harry disagreed, "Five at the least.""Harry!" Louis chided, jabbing his chest playfully, "I'm the one carrying them you know.""One set of triplets, one set of twins, perfect.""Harry!" "What?" He laughed in response."You want me to look like a planet when I'm carrying them?""You'll be beautiful when you do so," he kissed his forehead, "and that when is sometime in the future, Louis, I don't want children right now.""I want time, a lot of it, with you," he pecked him on his cheek and moved over to his ear, nibbling on them, "I want to know you, everything about you, from the way you like your eggs down to what turns you on, I want to know."Louis gulped down and turned towards him without hesitation and straddled him but before he could even make the next move, the car stopped before their apartment initiating a groan from the blue-eyed beauty.Chuckling, Harry helped him get off and got out of the car to lead the way back to their condo. Holding his hand as they waited for the lift, the Mobster turned towards his husband. "Pink." He said to him which called out a confused look on his face. "Pink is my favourite colour. The watermelon and the rose shade especially."Louis just smiled.
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The rays of the sun peeked through the curtains, mercilessly falling upon the feathery-haired man. The light was satisfactory enough to bring the man to the brim of consciousness. Rubbing his eyes open, he inspected the surroundings and noticed that the bed was cold on the other side. Harry wasn't there. Louis had decided to sleep in his room from the night onwards. Picking himself up, he quickly had a bath and moved downstairs to have breakfast. Descending down the staircase, he saw the entire living room decorated with azaleas. His favourite flower. A smile was quick to grace his lips. "Master Harry left this for you alongside the flowers." The butler told him, handing the note.
Left at 4 a.m.
Important meeting near the airport.
I'll hopefully be back before you're awake if I'm not, you have the flowers for the company until I come back.
Harry
P.S: please eat something, doll.
Sighing, Louis sat at the dining table to have his breakfast. He hoped that this time around, nobody would intervene between him and Harry. He really did. "You seem happy, Sir." The maid served him breakfast."Yeah, I am," Louis smiled, "very."When Louis concluded his breakfast, the doorbell rang and the man's eyes lit up immediately. Harry strolled in with his phone attached to his ear. "Really? You of all people want a weekend off?" Harry chuckled. "Yeah, take it, you deserve it anyway."Disconnecting the phone call, he put the device into his pocket and effortlessly pulled Louis into an embrace, "Did you eat, doll?" "Yes," Louis answered and kissed his cheek, "did you? Do you have to leave again?" "I don't need to go back." He told, ruffling the man's hair, turning to the butler who was present, "Bring the breakfast up to my room please.""Of course, master." He responded. After Harry had had a bath and eaten and settled down on his bed with his laptop to do some work, Louis had been lazying around d on the bed. "Harry?""Hmm?""Why do you not want children right now?""Because we still have a lot to work on our relationship, I don't want a kid until we both are ready, Louis." "And because," Harry pulled out the drawer on the bedside table, placing his laptop on top of it. Retrieving an envelope, he handed it to Louis with the NYU School of Medicine printed on top of it, "of this.""You were drunk and made the mistake of telling that you were half-way through your med school in America," Harry informed him with a smile. "So I did some digging and pulled a few strings and got this for you.""You can resume from your final year next September and-"Louis violently tackled Harry into a hug and kissed his cheek, "Thank you." "Thank you so much," he reiterated and turned his eyes to his husband, "you have no idea how much this means to me."Harry just glanced carefully at the man in his arms and pecked his forehead, "I'd do anything for you, Louis," he told him, "just ask me to. You're that important to me." He assured and kissed his cheeks, "I know I'm bad at telling the things I want but Louis this isn't a question of want anymore.""I need you, I need you in my life, doll." He said cupping his cheeks and kissing each of them. Straddling him, Louis hugged him harder while Harry's hands supporting the firm embrace, "It took me a lot of self-control to not shoot Niall yesterday.""What he did is something I really cannot forgive him for," he admitted, "I was ecstatic when I saw you at the altar, you know that?""I had just flown down from Japan in the morning and came directly to the hotel." He narrated, Louis knew how difficult this was for the rigid man to admit to, "I did not know who I was marrying but I trusted my dad's decision and I was glad I did when I saw you.""You didn't have a bachelor party?" Louis questioned innocently. "No, Liam insisted a lot," Harry muttered, "he had everything planned but there was this deal in Poland and I couldn't let a bachelor's party reduce the size of my bank account so I ditched it," he shrugged with a grin, "everyone except for the groom was present at the bachelor party.""Harry, I got pictures of your bachelor party the evening after we got married," Louis told him, biting his lower lip with sadness looming over him. "I hate people who cheat, Harry. I am disgusted by them. My father left my mother for that and she died because of it. I can tolerate anything, not cheating which is why-""-you hated me for the past two years." Harry completed for him and kissed his forehead, "I understand, doll.""It's really difficult to hate the person you are physically and emotionally attracted to, you know?" Louis put forth with a hesitant smile. "So you were attracted to me, huh?" Harry smirked with his heart letting out bubbles of contentment. "Obviously, I was." Louis responded. "I observed you as much as you paid attention to me.""When you gave orders to Maria to give me the right tablets and force me to stay at home, I was awake too, you know." Harry told him. "When you slid into my room and put blankets over me, I was awake, you know," the blue eyed man retaliated with the same intonation. "And you didn't think even once that the evidence you're getting was tampered with?" Green eyes questioned him for his unwavering faith on the Irishman. "Harry, I grew up with them," Louis told him seriously, "Niall skipped school to work two shifts so he could get me shoes for football training.""Do you expect me to doubt anything he says?" Louis asked him back. "If you would say Zayn did something like that, I might have doubted but Niall, he was the wall behind me."The Capo stared at him, letting out a cold sigh. He knew this situation. If this would have been Liam in Niall's place even he would've disbelieve him. "Do you think you can forgive him?""I don't know, Harry." "If you do forgive him and decide to meet him, do it behind my back, I hate him enough for it to last a lifetime."Louis chose not to answer to that instead just hugged him quietly and let Harry return the gesture.
***
On the weekend which followed, Louis and Harry had spent brunch with their families and Jacob had been invited to this specific event for the announcement of the engagement.After a brunch of fun and frolic, all Harry felt was satisfaction. Jacob genuinely loved and cared for Troye and the Capo knew that he was a good person as far as Mafia men went. Louis was reading on the armchair in the Mobster's old room while Harry said he'd look up on some files."Harry?" Louis called out, looking up from his book, "Since when do you know Jacob and Reus?"Harry's eyebrows furrowed in remembrance before his words came through, "When I had been handed over the Empire at twenty two, there was this group of assassins hired and Jacob was one amongst them.""I was very close to getting killed but he didn't succeed and that group turned his back on him," Harry muttered with a grin, "I took him in gave him a job, meager one.""He raised faster that lightening, I didn't trust him though, it took me a while," the mob boss admitted, "but then he gained that too.""And Reus?""Reus was a drug dealer in high school, a grade below mine," Harry narrated, "he liked dealing too much for some reason although he smoked up very very occasionally.""When our English teacher asked him about his ambitions, said he wanted to import and export cocaine and heroin," the Mobster chuckled with his dimples on display, "knew he was our man then."Looking at the green eyed man curiously while he laid nestled in his lap, Louis decided to launch himself up to peck his dimple. "You have dimples." He said, pressing his index finger on Harry's cheeks. "How astute of you to observe that little indentation." He answered sarcastically. "Did Maria give you a dictionary for lunch, Styles?"Harry let out a laugh at the response and turned to Louis, kissing him on the forehead, "Smartypants, shut up.""But you're a mob boss.""How on earth does me being a Capo correlate to my dimples?" Harry retorted incredulously while his attention stayed on the screen before him. "Because you become less intimidating?" Louis added into his theory, "I mean you could just twitch your lip and you get your dimples and dimples make someone cute not scary.""So you aren't scared of my scary look, huh?" Harry questioned placing the laptop on the floor and pulling Louis by his leg and pinning him up on the bed.Throwing his leg around the man, Harry's expression hardened, his skin reducing any sort of mirth which was formerly present. "You think my dimples make me less intimidating?" He questioned the man underneath him with a smirk painting his face accompanied by a raise of his eyebrow. "You think just because of my dimples, I look less ruthless, is it?""Yes.""So I don't scare you right now?"Harry heard a clear gulp from the man trapped under him. "You've never scared me." Louis sighed exasperatedly. "Then what do I do to you, doll?" "Right now?" Louis asked to which he asserted a nod. "You excite me."A smirk grew evidently on Harry's lips, as he lowered them upon Louis' neck with his hand moving through his side's and sliding them under his shirt. "Do I now?""Harry," he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, letting his hands find his way towards the Mobster's cheek to pivot him closer to his lips. Gyrating his hips against Louis' very own, he let his lips touch his husband's and felt him responding quite enthusiastically. The quickness in Louis' actions was a gentle stroke to his ego, he knew that the man was eager and he knew the last two years of the void the two of them actively contributed in ended up in surmounting to an extremely unhealthy amount of sexual frustration which when irked even by a feather would blow up. Delving into the kiss, Harry's hand moved further below to part his legs and trailed his hands over Louis' thighs, he could feel the warmth which his skin radiated even with his pants on. Withdrawing his lips they quickly moved to latch themselves on Louis' neck which brought in delectable sounds from the man's lips. In the pursuit of hearing more of these sounds, Harry's lips nibbled on the soft flesh of his neck. Plunging on to the other side of his neck letting Louis' fingers waddle their way through his hair, pulling him closer."More, Harry," Louis inhaled a deep breath and panted harder. "Yeah, want more, baby?" He placed a kiss on his jaw. "Much more.""How about I rim you, doll?" Harry questioned, moving to his lower lip to illicit another moan. "Yes!""You want that?" Harry asked, touching his lips in irregular successions.His eyes pleaded in response. "Brother?" Kendall's voice called out and the door flew open and neither of them had the time to retract themselves from one another. Widening her eyes at the sight, Kendall slammed the door shut. "Dad's calling for Louis and you.""We'll be there in a minute!" Harry called out and moved back into the junction of Louis' neck to bite him harder. Gasping, the blue eyed man dug his fingers deeper into the mess of curls. "We...need to....go....""Do we?" Harry questioned and receded back, heaving as he looked up at his husband. Louis picked himself up and pecked his lips, "Yes.""Mine," he murmured and returned the gesture. "You are," he mumbled and went up on his knees and kissed his cheek, "mine."
* * *
After quite an elaborate round of teasing from his father about the conspicuous red mark and all Louis did was blush a violent red while Harry slid over to his father's side and joined him in doing the same. Blushing and refusing an answer was the only response the man gave.Eventually, they received the information that the wedding was going to be scheduled in January because of Troye's inclination to have a spring wedding.Louis didn't take long to get involved into roughly throwing in various ideas to help the planning of the wedding when Stephan quickly guided him away for word."How are you and Harry faring?" Stephan questioned with a risen eyebrow making Louis smile in response. "He is good, so am I." He rejoined and ran his hands through his hair and added on to the sentence, "He is perfect.""Looks like young love to me." Dear returned the smile and took a sip from his glass of wine. "The honeymoon period?""I don't know what to call it," Louis shrugged his shoulders with his gaze static on Lia and Harry who were involved in an active conversation, "he is just perfect." "So are you, Louis." Stephan patted his head bringing another lift of the corners of his cheeks. Louis didn't know why but Stephan had had a soft spot for the man ever since he met him at the orphanage when he was five. Louis had a debt he carried on his shoulders to Stephan Styles for the number of things he did for him since that day on the bench. Although, Louis had been in a foster home for quite a while, Stephan never let him feel the void of parental care. The former Capo was there when Louis performed as Peter Pan and he was there when he came out as gay.It was still a vivid memory when the blue eyed man had come back to the foster home in tears and called him. He had just learned that he was cursed to carry children. Stephan had caught the earliest flight the following day and held him throughout his breakdown. Running his hand through his back and assuring that nothing was wrong to be born a male carrier, it was a blessing and he could ignore the people who said otherwise. None of his sexual or partner preferences mattered when it came to ruling over America which he said with unerring determination. "He cares too much for me but is a little emotionally constipated," Louis told him with a giggle."Mob bosses are supposed to be that way, Louis," he reminded him, "and Harry is more reserved. Always the one with the solution to a problem."Louis let the thought be evaluated and assented a nod, "Yes, does seem like him.""I was afraid that I had condemned the people I love the most to the worst sort of binding.""I created a hell out of it, Dad." Louis admitted quietly, looking at the floor, "There were too many unsaid things between us and that just created more misunderstandings."Stephan let out an exhale of cold air and held Louis' hand in assurance, "It happens, as long as you both made it through.""Louis," Harry entered into the balcony, suddenly, observing the seriousness of the atmosphere, he glanced at the two, "everything all right?""Don't worry," Louis held his hand in affirmation, "we're good." Skeptically, he reluctantly let out a nod, "I'll be back in an hour or two to pick you up, something has come up."Pouting at the fact Harry had to leave, he got up and kissed his cheek, "Come back soon.""I will, doll," he kissed his cheek back and turned to his dad, "I'll see you in a while, dad.""Sure." Returning to his conversation with his son in law, Stephan questioned, "Have the two of you ever discussed children?"Louis bit his already abused bottom lip, "Yeah, we have.""And?" "He wants us to wait for a while. Finish my final year in med school, know each other better." "That's very good that he wants you to complete med school," Stephan began and protracted, "but you've told him right?""About what?""Everything."Louis' gaze had an immediate aversion and looked down at his lap. "No. He just knows that I want children.""Louis, I know I shouldn't tell you what to do but Harry won't respond well if he knows from any other source but you.""I know that.""Think about it, love." He advised when Louis' when his phone began to ring with Harry displayed on the called ID. "Yea, Harry?" He picked the call with a grin on his face, "I like macaroons, why though?" Listening carefully to the other side of the phone and quietly hearing the response, Louis rejoined, "All right, love.""Harry, the-""Harry?!""Harry?!"Repeating his name continuously, Louis' eyes squinted in worry, "I heard crashes and bullets!" He exclaimed to his father who just looked at him in worry with his eyebrows drawn in. "Call Liam, I'll get Jacob."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Liam took a sharp turn and halted his car before the porch which he seemed to keep returning to quite often. The cafe's warmth seemed perpetual and welcoming. The pastel painted gate with flowerbeds surrounding it added a touch of vintage style to it and the wooden furniture with gold lighting solidified the feeling. Stepping inside the wooden place, Liam's eyes fell upon the blonde man who was playing with his daughter while his husband laughed behind the counter. Moving into the cafe, he noticed the change in Shawn's smile as soon as he came into view. Prompting the man to nudge his husband who turned to see him. "What does he want now?" Niall's voice asked, gruffly. "Harry doesn't need anything," Liam responded with stoic undertone, "but I need a word with you.""Where were you last Sunday evening?" He threw at the Irishman who turned to Shawn and gestured to take Viola while he nodded to move back to the house to Liam. "I was racing," he answered to him, too quickly for his liking, opening the fridge to take out a bottle of beer and offered to Liam who declined it."Where exactly?""Downtown," he replied, opening the bottle, and throwing the cap away, "you know the place, I've seen you there.""Harry was shot." He told him. "By whom?""That's what we don't know."Niall smirked and turned towards the man in the suit, "So you think it's me?"Liam glared in response as if his presence wasn't an answer by itself. Chuckling, he took a sip of the beer, "I might hate the man but Louis loves him and as much as I would be absolutely indifferent to his death, it would hurt him."The brunet didn't know how to take in this sort of a declaration and thought the best was to keep up with his original plan and plant a man who kept track of Niall's activities.Opting to answer Niall, "If anyone from your side gets to know who did it, let us know." "Yeah," Niall shrugged.Moving away from the cafe, Liam headed out in the direction of Zayn's apartment. He still had to check up on him with regards to the shooting. He had been doing this non stop through the past few days, running around to collect information on the sudden attack which occured.It had been almost a week since the godforsaken incident. The fact that Harry had been attacked shook the mob up, at least the inner circle because this wasn't anybody from their family, this was their Capo and anybody who dealt with the Mafia knew how much of a risk and stupid the decision was to attack the head of a family. Especially, a family which was this old and powerful. Adding on that Harry had been attacked with impeccable perfection, especially when nobody was around, it was in distinction that this person whosoever he was, was keeping a keen eye on the mob boss and his actions. Sighing, at the whirlwind of thoughts which occupied most of his time, he paused and got onto the elevator.Ringing the bell on the apartment number he was directed to, he waited for the door to be answered. A few long minutes later, Liam rang the doorbell again."I'm coming! I'm coming!" The retort came back in the form of a loud shout and in the next few seconds his eyes were greeted with a very pleasing sight. Zayn Malik was dripping wet with a tiny towel wrapped around his slender waist. Drops of water sliding down the slopes of his body which was littered with tattoos. His hair was pulled back, as the man raked his fingers through the black mane, letting droplets of water shed from them.Momentarily, Liam forgot the purpose of the visit. Momentarily, Liam also forgot the purpose of breathing. "There's a reason you're here so late?" The man before him questioned, clearly pleased with the reaction he was receiving. Blinking, Liam nodded his head and licked his lips, "I had a few questions, something happened.""Then come on in." He gestured and locked the door after Liam walked in inside. "I'll just put some clothes on," Zayn excused himself.Liam had half a mind to say that he could stay that way. When Zayn did return, the brunet realised that their ideas of putting some clothes on definitely did not correspond with one another.Zayn walked out in a sweater which fell to his mid thighs. That was all he wore. "Drinks?""Whiskey, if you have any.""I'll fetch that, why don't you tell me about why you're here?" Liam nodded from where he was seated on the dining table, although Zayn had his back turned to him, "Harry was shot, I wanted to know if you know anything about it.""I heard that he was shot from my associates," Zayn commented casually but Liam's attention had clearly been parted.The way Zayn was reaching out to the bottle of whiskey, the sweater was raking through his thighs, on the underside of his arse and threatening to go higher which it did. When the fabric did rise up slowly, Liam realised that the tease before him wasn't wearing any underwear and that realisation threw away all the self control the Mobster had.Springing up from his seat, he yanked Zayn and pinned him against the counter. "You think this is funny, don't you?" He growled, instigating those hazel eyes to turn up to him with innocence. "Teasing me with wearing something I want to rip apart with no underwear.""I am wearing underwear," Zayn protested, pouting and clarified, "I am wearing a thong."Liam sweat dropped at the mention of the garment.Leaning forward towards his shoulder, the man gently rubbed his lips against Liam's ear, "You could check if you want.""Oh, I will, Zayn." Liam answered with a smirk etched on his face. Liam's fingers were quick to move through his soft skin and trailed down the string between his arse cheeks. Tracing it down, he finally reached Zayn's entrance. On approaching it he pressed over it with his thumb, extracting a gasp from his lips who's grip over his waist tightened. Taking a deep breath, Liam felt Zayn's lip quiver on his shoulder. Pleased by the effect he had, his fingers rubbed over his hole but never forced themselves in, light teasing touches. "Liam, please," he begged with a deep inhale of breath. "Oh, you don't get to beg after teasing me," he muttered with his fingers still just lightly touching his hole that brought Zayn to roll his hips against his fingers for some more friction which Liam wasn't willing to provide. The only interruption which arrived was a few minutes later when his phone began to ring. Seeing the caller ID, Liam looked at Zayn warningly, "Lower your volume, okay?"Zayn straightened up and smiled at him in mischief and quickly slid down to his knees. Liam's smile dropped when Zayn did. Turning his attention to the call, he felt the man quickly unbuttoning and unzipping his slacks and before he knew it, latched his mouth onto Liam's cock. Adding the fact that Zayn just swallowed the whole cock instead of licking it first proved a very big hindrance in taming his groan of frustration. "Liam? Are you all right?" Jacob questioned him. "Yeah," he breathed out, "perfectly fine."Sliding his fingers through Zayn's hair, he pushed himself deeper down his throat, at which a mewl of satisfaction came through."Liam?" Jacob reiterated. "Did you hear what I said? Are you there?"Liam's attention snapped back to the phone call, "Yeah, I did," he replied, "Reus and you are staying with Louis and there's a team of guards patrolling around the hospital and the manor.""Yeah," Jacob's voice returned and his ministrations diverted to Zayn's tongue again which was slurping his cock while his eyes stayed in contact with the man above him.Noticing how his eyes were on Zayn, the man had the audacity to keep them on the Mobster and kitten lick the precome which was dripping but being slurped by him before he licked his lips and winked at him, sucking the cock back into his mouth. "So I think you should go back home and get some rest, we're here." Jacob's voice told him. "Yeah! I'll do that!" Liam flung back, "I'll talk to you later."He disconnected the call and threw the phone in his pocket. Grasping Zayn's hair, he pulled him back onto his feet. "You like being manhandled, don't you?" "I like a lot of things," Zayn answered with a sultry tones to his voice. "You weren't this compliant, the other day in the garage." He told pulling him closer to himself, kissing his prominent jawline."Everybody likes a bit of powerplay, Liam."Smirking down at Zayn, he caught his chin and caressed his bottom lip, "There is no powerplay here, baby. I'm the only one in power." He informed him."Yeah?" Zayn questioned and sat on the platform and put his arms around Liam's neck. "Why don't you stay the night and prove that?""And if I want more than just the night?" Liam asked, looking at the doe like eyes. "Then you must know I prefer talking on dates rather than doing something." He answered back, initiating a grin on Liam's face as he pulled his legs around his torso. "I'll take you out for a date as soon as I fit into your mind that there is no powerplay with me." With that he picked the man up from the platform and guided him to the bedroom for the rest of their night.
* * *
Louis had been anything but stoic.He had been worried. Tired. Exhausted. And mercilessly inflicted with an emotional turmoil within him. When he learned that Harry had been shot four times, his heart had dropped. He felt despair in the most rawest forms to exist. It had just been a week when the two of them had learned of Niall's misjudgment and begun to ease into one another's presence and then someone had pulled this on his husband. Granted, Harry wasn't critical anymore and he had woken up after the surgery in perfect condition with no additional damage except for the occured events, it was still worrying.Sitting outside the ward in the hallway, Louis was just waiting quietly for the others to talk to the Mob Boss while he just looked from afar. He had woken up four days ago but under the influence of the narcotics and recovery from the surgery, he could hardly stay up for a lot of time and as an almost doctor, Louis knew that and acknowledged it but as a husband, he just wanted to be beside Harry.Looking up at his phone, he saw how Troye and Kendall slid beside him. "What's up brother in law?" Kendall asked handing a coffee over to him."Nothing." He shrugged, pulling in his best fake smile. "Lou," Troye said, looking up at him with a smile on his own face, "I know that smile and I know you're worried." He told him placing his hand on his knee."It was just that our relationship was growing better and this happens.""Oi!" Kendall intervened holding his hand firmly, "just because this happened, it means nothing."Troye sided with his sister and added, looking at the man, "Louis, you know he is Capo and although it is rare but it isn't unheard-of to attack someone of his standing.""It's just at times bad things just happen and we are unable to do anything about it." Troye explained to him after which Kendall quickly took over, "And whosoever did this isn't going to get away, not from us. So there is nothing you need to worry about except for staying beside Harry when he needs you.""Exactly," Troye assured him."Thanks," he grinned, glancing at the two of them, gratefully, "I guess I needed that.""Louis," Kendall told him, holding his hand, "you're family. Youre a part of us. You belong with us and nothing can change that, all I want you to know is no matter what, we'll find a way back to you or you'll find a way back to us. Don't worry."Louis' eyes flickered to Kendall, the assurance she gave him was perfect. Somehow she knew the reservations he had and eased his burden with the perfect words and all he did to show his gratefulness was smile at the woman beside him."Louis," Stephan called him, "Harry is asking for you."Pivoting his gaze towards his father, he nodded absentmindedly and moved quickly into the ward.
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Sitting before the mirror, Louis had finished getting dressed for the party he had to leave alongside Harry. They were supposed to venture out to the so-called event nearly twenty minutes earlier but yours truly hadn't even graced him with his presence. Sighing, he picked his phone up to dial Harry's number again when he heard the swish of tires in the driveway and in no time the bell rang and footsteps arrived at their room. "You're late, boss." Louis greeted him looking at the mirror which showed the reflection of the mobster."The meeting ran longer than anticipated, doll." He answered and quickly began to strip down his blazer and shirt. "I'll go have a shower.""Be quick."A grunt was the response he received.When Harry returned from the shower, he was dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his bony waist, right below the tattoed olive branches. His gaze quickly ran down his wet chest, pausing at the birds which were glistening due to the liquid stuck to them and halted on his waistLetting his breath hitch, Louis turned his attention back to his phone. "Subtle, husband. Very subtle." Harry grinned and walked into the wardrobe to retrieve his clothes. Pulling out the light pink shirt from his wardrobe. He threw it upon his well fitted black slacks and removed a velvet box and put it into Louis' hands and resumed buttoning up his shirt. "What's this?" The blue-eyed man questioned, unlocking the box which revealed a lovely silver flower crown with blue stones which were sprinkled generously over the metal. "Harry, this is so beautiful!" Louis exclaimed picking it up. "Don't try it on, you'll ruin your quiff," Harry reprimanded before Louis could place it over his head and placed it back down. Running to Harry like a tiny cat for his food, he kissed his cheek, "Thank you.""Hmmm." He muttered and turned away to wear his blazer."Harry?" Louis called out and prodded behind him and stood before the mobster, prompting his green eyes to question him. With one leap, he gently pulled his husband down and pressed his lips onto his. Pushing him to the wall behind him, Louis noticed Harry was slow to reciprocate due to the fact he was taken by surprise and the kiss was still sinking into him but when he did realise what was happening, he was quite ardent to respond. Pulling his husband closer by the waist, Louis nibbled on the bottom of his lip while Harry's hand moved up to his nape. Allowing the feeling of absolute ecstasy to run through him, he let his lips part wider. As soon as this occurred, Louis felt the sudden invasion of Harry's tongue which was quick to lap up on his tongue. Running his fingers through Harry's hair, he pressed more firmly against the man and quickly began to unbutton his shirt which the mobster had no qualms against. They stayed like that for a few minutes, permitting the moments to pass by, delving into one another and devouring each other, passionately letting their tongues dance while their hands could hardly be stationed at a single spot on one another. There was nothing tender about the kiss, it was just fuelled by raw passion. It was like Harry was the calm sea and Louis was the rain, every time they met one another, they created a storm.Pulling apart very reluctantly, the two looked at one another and were taking deep breaths of the air around them. "That was," Harry panted, "very unexpected.""Harry," Louis cupped his cheek and then knocked on his blazer, "this," he told gesturing at the suit, "is for the rest of the world."Moving his hands over the smooth skin of his chest, he placed a kiss over it, "This is mine," he swiftly guided his lips to his neck and place a peck on the side, "this is mine," he then quickly pressed his lips tenderly upon his eyelids and his own lips, "all this is mine.""Underneath this exterior, you're mine," Louis kissed his jaw and ran his hand over the blazer, "I don't want you to carry this demeanour of the cunning Mobster around me. I don't want you to show me the man who can kill anybody with the snap of his fingers," he listed out and moved his hand up to his lips, placing a kiss over his knuckles, "I want the man who makes goofy jokes with his niece and helps his mum out while making lunch. I want the man beneath this, I want my man."With that conclusion, Louis hesitantly turned to meet his eyes with the emerald gaze which was already fixed on him. "You're very demanding.""I've been told," Louis muttered and felt his gaze fall upon his chest. "Let's go," he kissed the blue-eyed man's cheek and guided him out."I won't get a response?" He asked, holding Harry's hand which enveloped his. "I'll think." He told him and kissed the back of his hand.
* * *
Harry had left Louis with Kendall and Troye and excused himself half an hour back to proceed for the poker game on the casino on the floor above them."It's unavoidable, Louis," He had told him, "one game and I'll be back."Clearly, that game was extending for quite a lot of time which Louis wasn't taking well to. Of course, he was kept entertained with Kendall, they were a really good company but he wanted his husband beside him. Since the accident, Louis was excessively clingy, he just didn't want to be present anywhere without Harry and most of the time the Crime Boss accepted his demands but today he had convinced him to stay back with his siblings."Louis, I need to use the washroom," she excused herself to which he quietly nodded and moved away with their guards, "I'll be back soon."Sitting quietly amongst the number of people involved in the extravagant party, Louis took another glass of champagne and poured it down his throat. "Hey beautiful," a voice greeted him and moved to occupy the space next to him. A blonde man with a dark blue suit was what he saw when he turned his face to meet the man. "I'm not interested, you can move on," Louis muttered, rolling his eyes. "You didn't even give me a chance," he pouted with his hazel eyes pleading."Don't need to." Louis snapped and moved away from his seat, searching for any guards around him."I'm really good in bed." "I'm really good at throwing punches which is what will assuredly happen if you don't leave me alone.""Feisty," he muttered and ran behind Louis who exited the banquet hall and moved outside the banquet hall only to be hauled by the man and thrown towards the wall. "What the fuck?!" Louis exclaimed and struggled against him, pushing him away but failed."You really have no idea who I am," Louis told and pushed him away but the man latched his huge muscular arms back, "fucking leave me!"Suddenly, a strong hand came from behind him and pulled the man away from Louis' person, "When he said to leave him, you fucking listen!" Harry's voice resonated, clutching his neck with his hand, assuring he was suffocating but the man threw broke the wine glass he was holding and stabbed it into his shoulder. Widening his eyes, Louis quickly hovered towards Harry, to get him to leave the man where Liam was there too. "Harry, let him go!" Liam dissuaded him. Listening to the two of them, Harry threw him off to collide with the stands beside. "We're leaving," Harry announced and held Louis' hand to walk away when the man got up to hit Harry but the mobster was too quick and brash and removed his gun and fired a shot on his shoulder. "Harry!" Louis gasped. "Remove his body and throw him back to whichever gang he belonged to and if he is a spawn of any of the bosses," Harry instructed to Liam, "tell them he violated a rule in public and that gunshot will be through his brain if it happens again." "Yes, Sir," Liam answered and turned to let Jacob accompany his boss alongside Nick and Reus. The car ride back home was as silent as a funeral, Louis could hear the riveting of the engine parts, it was that silent. Harry didn't meet his eye when they reached back home, he just changed his clothes and moved away downstairs leaving him alone in the room. An hour later, Louis decided he had to run down to the room where the piano was being played and to confront his husband on the situation. "Hon?" Louis knocked and peeked inside the room which was resonating music. Harry stopped playing and grunted in disapproval when Louis moved before him, preventing him to continue to play the piano. "Louis, let me be." He grumbled and placed his head on his satin shirt. Placing his arm around the Mobster's shoulder and placed a kiss on top of his head. "Why are you so upset, hmm?""Hate losing control that way," he muttered and unfastened his buttons, kissing his tummy moving up. Standing up, he quickly tossed Louis onto the piano who had easily began to remove his shirt revealing his smooth skin. "Louis-" pulling his shirt down, he removed his shirt and lifted Harry's arm up. Squinting his eyes at the ink which had been sprayed a series of tribal tattoos which made a ring around his arm and had 'Louis' in the middle of the ring of black ink. "When did you get that?" Snatching the shirt, he pulled it back upon his skin and quickly began to button his shirt, "A few months back.""I've never seen it," Louis told him and got a glare from his husband. "I didn't get it with the intention of showing it to you.""You can't get someone's name tattooed and not tell them!" "I can.""Harry!""What?" Harry questioned and pushed him to the wall and caged him with his arms, "What do you want me to say? That I treasure you the most? That I can't bear the thought of anybody laying a finger on you? That I want to fuck you right here in your pretty clothes?""Harry," Louis moaned and latched his lips to his neck and felt Harry dive in between his legs, placing kisses on the inside of his thighs when his phone began to vibrate on the piano. "This better be important, Liam," Harry growled, nibbling onto his thighs, extracting moan after moan. "I don't give a fuck who's son he was!" He scowled in response and withdrew from Louis' thighs, listening keenly to Liam and rolled his eyes, "Ask him to fucking stuff it! I'll be there in ten minutes!" Getting up from where he was placed, he looked at Harry who's visage seemed pretty apologetic. "Go." Louis kissed his jawline and permitted him. "I'll be here.""I hate this," he said hugging him and kissing his cheek. "I'll be here when you return." He certained him and prodded him to leave.
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The sun was blissfully gliding through the skies providing just the right amount of light and shade, resulting in a blissful weather through the day. The lawn had been sprinkled with tables and lovely nets of flowers hanging from the trees while pastel coloured balloons were fitted all through the venue. It was Troye's engagement. Jacob and Harry had put in enough effort to preserve subtlety yet reaffirm elegance in the party.The ceremony had proceeded with absolute perfection and integrity. There was still a lot of socializing going on with games being played and the dance floor occupied with traditional dancing. "Very well organised, Mister Mobster." Louis slipped next to Harry and kissed his cheek behind the tree. The pair had been to the Caribbean in the weeks which had passed after Harry had been discharged from the hospital where the mobster had faithfully renewed their vows. In Jamaica Louis had been confronted with the fact that Zayn had no idea about Niall's doing."Thank you, doll," Harry smiled and placed his flower crown appropriately."You're welcome." He told, kissing his cheek again and drawing his hands around his husband. "What have you been upto?" Harry questioned him, pressing him against the tree and kissed his cheek. "I was with Zayn until Liam dragged him off somewhere about forty minutes back and they still haven't returned." Louis muttered with a roll of his eyes."I should do that with you too." Harry nuzzled his neck, initiating giggles from Louis, "Steal you off to secluded areas just to fuck you hard and then wait for everyone to ask why you're walking funny."A furiously red blush assaulted Louis' cheeks while he let out a low sounding groan into Harry's ear."Can't wait to knock you up," he muttered and bit his ear, "so full with my child.""Which is why I'm on the pill, right now." Louis pouted, pulling himself away from his person, Harry set his emerald gaze upon his lovely husband's face. "We've spoken about this right?""I know." Louis said looking up at him, "but a child would be so nice, Hazza.""Of course, it would and I know our relationship is pretty good too but Louis, your med school is a priority." Harry kissed his cheek, jerking him forward to bring him closer.Louis nodded his head in reluctance and smiled forcefully at his husband, "Of course, hon.""Anyway, there was someone I wanted you to meet." He beckoned him, placing his arm on Louis' waist."Can't we sneak out somewhere instead of meeting your friend?" Louis suggested with a wink."Tempting." "But no?""No." Harry agreed with a chuckle causing Harry to let out a moan of discontentment. Approaching a man in a well tailored black suit, Harry tapped his shoulder. Turning to face Harry was Louis' biggest nightmare, blonde lock stuck to the sides of his well chiselled face with electric blue eyes quietly staring back at the man. "Doll, this is Vladimir Moretti, he is one amongst the biggest investors in our hotels in the States." Harry introduced, looking up to Vladimir, "This is my husband, Louis.""Pleasure to meet you, Louis." He smiled a sinister grin. Louis' mouth ran dry and all he did was blink at the man who confronted him barely able to croak, "Nice to meet you.""Harry, I'm really exhausted, I wanna go home," he abruptly told immediately after the greeting. Frowning at the sudden change in his behaviour, the mob boss shook his head, "What's wrong? Are you fine, doll?""I'll find Reus, I want to go back home." Louis agreed and just moved away and the discomfort he felt was clear to the mobster.
* * *
Anxious. That's what Louis was. There was an anniversary dinner which was taking place in the manor where all the mob bosses had been invited to including Stephan's sister Veronica.The weeks after the engagement part had been exhausting, Anne had been drugged and attacked at a charity function she attended alongside a few other women in her circle. Surprisingly, Veronica was present at this specific charity function and when investigated further it was Veronica who handed her the drink which was the last thing she consumed before being physically assault and landing with a bump on her head.The cherry on the top of the cake was when Harry received a note in his office saying:'Little Lia will be next'And that made him even more worried, the entire family was plagued by a house arrest and the security around their properties increased twice by the number. Harry had actively discouraged the celebration of the anniversary dinner at the manor but Stephan had insisted that if they did organise it,it could lure the predator. "Or one of us could get killed but that's okay," Cara had thrown back venomously at Stephan with a roll of her eyes. But that's not what worried Louis, what worried him was having both Vladimir and Veronica under the same roof. The name Vladimir stirred worry to Louis, with the exception of the fact he was his ex boyfriend who had tortured him to the extent that all he did was stare at the wall for days together because even psychologists felt he was too traumatized to talk nevermind hold a conversation about moving on. After meeting Vladimir, Louis' rationale asked him to tell Harry the truth about what had actually happened in America and why he really came down to Italy but his insecurities beat him to it and he kept quiet. The fact he was receiving threatening messages after messages from him should've been a motivating factor to prompt him to tell Harry but surprisingly, it wasn't. He just kept delaying it to tell his husband and at this point, he was afraid that this would lead to something problematic.Adding on to that was how he remembered Vladimir was also Veronica's son's name who went missing when he was ten and the accumulation of this sort of evidence pointed in one direction which was that the two of them were trying to extract age old revenge from Stephan."Penny for your thoughts," Harry's hands slid around Louis' waist and kissed him on his neck. "Nothing, just worried about the recent happenings." Louis lied through his teeth, forcing a smile. Harry didn't buy it but neither did he prod on the topic. Instead, he placed butterfly kisses over Louis exposed neck. "Don't worry, doll. Nothing is going to happen to anybody not with me around." Rotating his person, he flung his hands around Harry's neck and kissed his cheek, "That's why I'm worried, I don't want anything to happen to anyone especially you.""Nothing is gonna happen to anyone, don't worry, doll." He said nuzzling his neck and handed Louis a pale cream tie, "Now, could you tie this, please?"A sly smirk playfully jumped onto Louis' lips, "Only if it's in exchange of sexual favours.""That's highly demanding of you," Harry muttered kissing his neck and unbuttoning his shirt which was the only garment Louis mostly ever wore in his presence.
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"What was Aunt Veronica's son's name again?" Louis questioned, as they stepped in. "Vladimir," Harry answered but turned towards him, "why?""I don't know," Louis muttered, "isn't it curious that your associate from America is also name Vladimir?""Louis," Harry chuckled, "many people share names, I mean your name and my name are pretty common too.""I guess." Louis agreed but carefully insisted again, "But they both returned from New York too.""Louis," Harry told him seriously, "it's just a coincidence."Letting the topic slide away, Louis stayed alongside Harry through the entire party, not moving away from his side especially with Vladimir's dark gaze following his every move. Socializing and discussing politics with a different set of people but Louis didn't leave his husband which was when Veronica approached them with Vladimir. "Good Evening, Harry, Louis," she smiled and greeted him with pretence etched into her face, "this is Vladimir, I'm not sure if you know him but he is a huge investor in both the Styles and our own company.""I do know him, Aunt Veronica," Harry enlightened her, "I was the one to invite him."" I thought Stephan did." She said and further added on, "He is almost like a son to me, he has been there through thick and thin.""That's good to know, quite the charmer aren't you?" Harry shot towards the man. "Occasionally, everyone is." He smirked at him. "I'll just go talk to Kendall for a moment, she's been tugging on me since we arrived, excuse me," Louis left his husband's side without any warning and moved over to Kendall's side for conversation who asked him to accompany Cara to bring the gift they had for their parents from their room. "All right, come on, let's go fetch it," Louis exited the ballroom with Cara. Returning from their bedroom, Louis asked to stop near the restroom which she did and quietly waited for him until suddenly as he was going to unlock the door, the lights went off. He heard the door open and strolled in, igniting his claustrophobia and the darkness just heightened the severity of the situation. "I know you're here, Louis," Vladimir's voice pushed a chill down his skin while Louis remained pressed to the wall, as he reached for the gun in his pocket. Shivering at the presence of the man before him, Louis felt tears accumulate into his eyes.Pulling the trigger, he shot in the direction, he assumed was wrong and ran towards the door but was quickly pulled back by the man's arms instigating screams of repititon, "Harry!"The place he was in was exhausting him out of breath, as he continued to struggle against the grabbing hands of Vladimir before he pulled the trigger again and shouted for Harry. Reaching out to the handle of his gun, he hit it upon the head of his attacker who let his grip loosen upon him but was quick to retreat.Pushing him away, Louis felt consciousness gently eluding him and while he pushed his eyes to stay open, wrestling against the external force, trying to find any outlet to escape. Struggling to breath, Louis' eyes gave in to unconsciousness.
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When consciousness arrived to Louis the next day, he was safely nestled into the warmth of his bed. Looking up at the time, he saw it was almost noon when his eyes opened. Recalling the occurences of the previous night, he felt his head sting a bit which caused Louis to pick himself up and lean back against his pillow.Realising that the shower was in use, he knew any moment Harry would come out of the bathroom and he did. "You're up." He addressed, as soon as he got out and took not of Louis' state of conscious. "Yeah, my head's aching a bit though." Louis told Harry in all honesty."The doctor said it's supposed to happen," he told him and went over to the closet to get dressed after calling in for someone for Louis to eat while he used the bathroom.On getting dressed, Harry glissaded next to him and sat next to Louis and questioned him, "How bad is it hurting?" "A little bit like a sting," he told him and moved his hands to the Mobster's and intertwined them together. "I need to get a few things checked upon, I'll be back in an hour," he told him, distantly, " Maria knows which medicines you need to take. Have them and get some rest."Something was wrong, Harry was acting reserved.Pulling him into an embrace, Louis made his way into Harry's arms and rested his head on his chest. The Mobster was slow but not reluctant to return the embrace which he found himself in. Looking up at him, he sprang up to kiss Harry's cheek and withdrew just to see him. "Thank you.""For?""For putting up with me," he said with a kiss on his cheek, "for bearing my tantrums," he added kissing his other cheek, "for being so loving and understanding," a kiss on his forehead, "for keeping me safe," a kiss on his nose, "for being you." Louis concluded and pecked his lips.The stare was agonising, as it fell upon Louis, questioning him of the authenticity of the words just passed. "Yesterday, we found you on the bathroom floor after the lights came back on, passed out." Harry told him. "We took you to the hospital and the doctor said some real interesting things.""And during that time when you were knocked out, your phone was ringing, constantly." Harry narrated, calling for Louis' heart to drop, "and when I picked it up, it was a very familiar voice threatening you.""You know the funniest part? The caller's name was Vladimir and he seemed know you, Louis."Louis let out an exhale of air, he was fidgeting and his eyes refused to meet Harry's. He knew this was a bad decision, yet he had done exactly that because of his insecurities."Harry, I can exp-""- I know you can," he cut him off and looked at him seriously, taking his hands and kissing them, "I want you to.""I don't know where to start," he mumbled incoherently."How about we start with how you know Vladimir?"Gazing up at Harry through his eyelashes, Louis dug his teeth into his lower lip, "I knew your dad probably since the beginning of time. He was the first one who taught me how to shoot and he was the one who held me when I cried because I realised I was gay. Stephan Styles was there when nobody else was.""He needed a person to lead in the States and the way he trained me, he wanted me to do it which I willingly did, I took over the crime scene in New York and the Empire began to grow, real quickly. Everything was good, I had Zayn and Niall with me, I just got into med school, life was peaceful," He continued to narrate slowly and deliberately, Harry didn't intervene, just listened in silence to his husband, "and then during this heist in Mexico, I met Vladimir, he had a crime background and wanted to expand his business in New York, I obviously came across him, I fell in love, we began to date, the same story.""Eventually, he asked me for help in a heist in Argentina and to kill the man who owned it, I agreed." Louis continued. "But I didn't know the person I was stealing from was your father.""But Dad doesn't have Argentina in his grasp.""He didn't have it after what I did, back in the day he did, I didn't know that because he had kept it from me." "I had to choose there, so instead of murdering the man I loved so much, I just left the crime scene," Louis elaborated on his decision, "I couldn't kill dad of all people so it thought it's better to stay away from him. I gave up the Empire I had built and stayed with Vladimir for quite some time.""It was the biggest mistake I ever made." he sighed and shook his head, "I was insanely in love with him. He had manipulated me to the extent that my world revolves around him, I lied to dad, ignored Zayn and Niall's warnings. Everything for him. One day I came home with pregnancy reports and I walked in on Vladimir with some other woman, I obviously couldn't take it and in the spur of the moment, I shot her.""Vladimir didn't take easy to this at all. The this as in the shooting the woman." Louis continued to narrate, "He dragged me into a room, kept me captive there with absolutely no light and hardly any food, used me as a punching bag for what seemed months. That's where I got my claustrophobia from.""This one day there was a shootout in his house, Zayn and Niall had arrived with Dad, we abandoned everything in the States and moved to Messina." Louis concluded. "I was in rehab and therapy for almost a year, obviously lost my child and then Dad told me it was either taking over the Chinese Mafia and never seeing him ever again or it was getting married to you and staying right before his eyes.""You know what I chose." Louis muttered and wiped the tears which were falling down on his cheeks. Harry felt a sudden burden upon his shoulders, he was numb. He was terribly hurt and couldn't comprehend what had been kept before him in words. "When I was in that rehabilitation centre, my rational and the consequences of my actions were coming down. I realised what I had done and I was disgusted with myself." Louis continued to talk in between the hiccups. "And even after what I had done, Dad was willing to take me back, I couldn't take that. The guilt weighed upon my soul.""That was the one thing I was proud of Harry, my relationship with Dad. He was so important to me, it just proved that I didn't love him enough, I wasn't loyal enough and I was so gullible." Louis muttered, gasping for air through his tear stricken face, "That's why I did what I did with Marcus, that's why I can't bear a word against him.""I can kill Vladimir for what he did, strangle with my bare hands." Louis told Harry. "And why did you think this was unimportant and I didn't deserve to know it?" Louis' eyes were filled with tears, as he shook his head sniffing, "I can't ruin our relationship, it's already so fragile, Harry.""I don't want to do anything which will take you away from me." He confessed. "And the fact that you're pregnant?""You didn't want children so I thought.."Sighing, he rubbed his temples in frustration at the turn of events and then discoursed on the only logical set of actions. Maneuvering him to his chest, Harry let the man sob uncontrollably, grasping his shirt. He understood. He understood Louis' insecurities, he paid attention to the hurt he had been through, he knew the guilt which was burdened upon his shoulders at such a tender age due to his own naivete and the only consequence of such a situation was to accept it and let go of it. "I love you." He said kissing the top of his head and parting from his embrace and wiping his tears away, "You're my only weakness Louis and I'll protect you until there is air left to breath.""I love you too." Louis sniffed and took the handkerchief handed to him, wiping his tears away befor diving back into his arms and wrapping his legs around his waist. "Aren't you clingy?" He chuckled, nuzzling into his neck. "My Harry." He declared and hugged him more firmly when Harry's phone began to ring."Liam, this better be important." Harry muttered grimly into the phone. "Jacob is dead."
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The funeral was grim. Jacob had spent more than half his life on the streets which was why except for the mob and Harry's own family, he did not have any living relatives. Jacob had gone to check for Vladimir in the place he was apparently staying but found nothing. He then proceeded to casually check up on Veronica's estates and while he was returning the car blew up leaving nothing but debris and a burnt body to grim to recognise.After the acknowledgement of the news, Troye was devastated. He wasn't eating or talking to anybody. The tragedy inflicted upon him was unfathomable and keeping the boy safe and sound was all they could do.Additionally, Vladimir was nowhere to be found. They had tried everywhere and searched the most probable and improbable places especially after Jacob's death but no trace of the man was found clearly showcasing who the culprit was.After returning back to their house, Harry gave out a few orders to Chad and then ordered Reus, "Get the car, ready."Moving out of the bedroom, Louis approached him and intervened, "Harry! Where are you going?" "I'm going to put a gun on her head then she'll spit the fucking truth out." He snapped."Harry think rationally, this is a bad idea," Louis advised walking alongside him, attempting to drill some sense into him, "Look her fucking son took my underboss' life and I am not allowing her to fuck any other person in my family!"Louis knew there was an extent to which Harry could control himself and his anger was justified here. Jacob was family. And the hurting family had vehement consequences so he did what he was supposed to do, sat beside him in the car as they drove to Aunt Veronica's place.
* * *
As they entered Veronica's house, he noticed that his cousin Sara seated at the indoor pool."Harry! What a surprise!" She said smiling at him. "Where is Aunt Veronica?""Why? What happened?""Where is she?" "Garden," she answered, "what happened?"Walking towards the garden, Harry's pace increased to reach the said destination where he saw her drinking tea. On noticing Harry and she gave out a smile. "Harry! What a pleasant surprise. How are-," before she completed her sentence, he placed a gun on her head. This action of the mobster prompted the guards around her removed their guns."Harry! What're you doing!?" Sara screamed from behind. He looked at her, "Where is that bastard son of yours?!" "So he did tell you?" Veronica smiled despite the tense situation. Louis was taken back by her calm reaction, "We figured it out.""You did? I expected that he did mention you are incredibly intelligent," she continued to talk with her relaxed demeanour, "he often told that he would tell you after the wedding.""What are you playing at!?" Louis questioned"Wait," Sara intervened, "Who are you guys talking about?""Vladimir!" He snapped.Veronica looked at her daughter in confusion who turned back to her mother and comically looked in confusion at the two of them, "Who?""Don't even think about lying to me!" He snapped at his aunt ferociously.Sara came in between and removed Harry'ss gun, "We aren't lying. Mother thought you are talking about Jacob.""Why should I talk about him? To know how your mother killed him?" He snorted. "Jacob was killed? How?" Veronica asked with concern tumbling down her face, tangling the situation more than it already was.Harry scowled, "Like you don't know!""Vladimir is your son, right?" Louis asked Veronica. "Who the hell told you that?" Sara questioned, perplexed by the turn of events."Vladimir isn't my son, Jacob is!" Veronica said with tears in her eyes."What?!" Louis was the one to verbally denounce while Harry's eyebrows raised turning to his husband. Confusion set upon them at the sudden change. She nodded her head in confirmation, "The first time I saw him was on your wedding, for a minute he looked vaguely similar to my lost son, I shrugged it off then when I recently saw him at the engagement party, he mentioned his original name was Vladimir but changed his name to Jacob on the streets." "Then I spoke to Jacob a few days after his engagement part. We tested whether he was my brother," Sara added to her mother's story. "Jacob is your son?" He referred to Veronica with a dry voice. "He was actually my brother.""Yes. He was." Veronica said with her eyes raining down tears. Regardless of the revelation, Louis regained his composure and turned to the elder woman, "Then why did you call Vladimir your son?""I called him son like, not son!" She grunted at him "And anyway Vladimir was my husband's friend."Harry's phone was what interjected the flow of events as it began to ring with Liam's ID. "I hope you don't have worse news.""It's not good Harry, Anne has been taken," Liam answered. "He has abducted her and wants to meet you."
***
Louis was nowhere close to calming down, he was worried. The CD which had arrived showed Anne tied up brutally with thick ropes and demanded a million euros in cash and the hotel establishments in the Northern part of Italy. They had decided that there wasn't a loophole in this except for giving Vladimir what he wanted.Shaking himself from the thoughts at hand, he returned to the food which had gone cold when his phone rang. An unknown number. Reluctantly, he picked up the call, "My sweetheart. How are you?" Vladimir.His throat went dry. "Why have you called me? Harry is giving you what you want!""My dear Louis, when are you gonna understand?" He asked in a smouldering voice, "I want you, love.""But if you want your darling mother in law back, then come over to this address," He added before he could reply, "don't even think of playing me.""And no this is not a simple warning." With that, the line went dead. He saw the video he had sent for confirmation and closed her eyes with a mixture of fear, anger and confusion. It was the truth, he had to go alone and he did.When he arrived at the deserted warehouse, Louis already felt himself regretting his decision. Taking a deep breath, he was torn between returning and taking a step further in when he noticed someone talking to Vladimir and his breath hitched bringing all the attention upon him. "You traitor! How could you work with him!" He screamed. No sooner did Louis complete his sentence than somebody hit his head. On feeling blood oozing, he tried fighting pushing away the attacker. So he pushed him back and ran towards the huge boxes kept and removed her phone dialling Harry's number.Meanwhile, Harry was waiting impatiently for Vladimir to arrive near the assigned place when his phone began to ring with Louis' face flashing on it."Yeah, doll?" He heard bullet sounds through the phone. "Louis?!" He shouted, "Lou what's going on!?""Harry. Somebody betrayed," He panted in between breaths. "Louis, can you tell me where you are?" He questioned, panicking himself."Harry. Zayn..." With that, his voice ceased.
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Arriving at Zayn's apartment, Harry could feel his blood boiling. He didn't know how his husband fell into Vladimir's clutches whether it was by force or sheer stupidity, Louis was in his clutches and what he was going through as he continued to investigate was frustrating him as the minute passed."Harry, I don't think Zayn would've done something like that," Liam told him with firm disbelief in the inference. "I'm not going to leave him just because you are personally involved with Zayn, Liam.""I know that," Liam responded back looking at him, "I don't want you to but I'm giving out an opinion, I don't think My Zayn would do anything to harm Louis.""We'll see." He threw back and rang the bell and Liam turned Harry towards him while the door remained shut, "But Harry if he did, please go easy on him," Liam's eyes pleaded his expression didn't and Harry nodded in response to his friend. Niall was the one who opened the door and as soon as that occurred, the blonde man moved back and called for Zayn."Harry. How come you're here alone? Where is Louis?" "He has been kidnapped.""What?!" Niall returned and approached him, "How?"Harry summarized the events which took place minus the phone call. Zayn looked at him dumbfounded, "You're telling this now?""I'll get the others," Niall said turning to Zayn, "We are leaving right now.""We need to see the spot." He told Harry and began to give orders on the other side. When he reached the warehouse again, he saw Zayn's team search the entire place again even though his gang had done it before he ordered his men to search it again. Harry was thinking and mentally hoping nothing happened to Louis. Zayn noticed it was basically of no use and retreated with the team. When he walked outside he noticed a discarded cigar with a tissue near the shutter. 'Gurkha Black Dragon.' Zayn was aware of the cigar brand but what he was alaso aware of was that Vladimir didn't take cigars he liked cigarettes, better meaning he asked somebody to abduct Louis.He opened tissue paper to see the Styles serpent imprinted in green on it which was handed to Harry who quickly informed that the colour differed for each hotel. Quickly dispersing to the said hotel they had run through the CCTV footages and recognised the man who was a local drug dealer. Niall and Zayn got down to work and quickly traced the man into a rundown alley where he was thrown and beaten up by Niall's associates."Talk now. What did you do to Louis? Where is he?!" Niall pushed him up on the dumpster, launching another punch on his bruised face."What is with you mafia men, I just confessed!" He shouted tumbling to the floor. Zayn narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?""Your leader had come a few minutes ago. I told him.""Who had come?""Styles," He muttered and passed out on the floor."Stop frying your brain Malik," a voice addressed him.Zayn and Niall turned to see the source of the voice who was standing in the vicinity of the place."You knew? Why didn't you tell me?" Zayn demanded with a cocktail of anger and confusion stirring."Louis had made a call and he mentioned that somebody had betrayed us, he told your name and collapsed. So-""-you assumed I betrayed and tried to see where my loyalties lay?""I cannot help it, nobody can be trusted and your names were first on the list, I had to do it."Niall snorted in a disapproving manner, "Fuck you, Styles! If I would get an opportunity I will strangle Vladimir to death!""Pleased to hear it because that's exactly what I am planning to do," he shrugged and began to walk back to the car, "We can talk on our way."When they were inside the car, Liam was the one to begin, "When I slapped the shit out of the man he told that he had planned the abduction for a very hefty amount, he was with Vladimir two days ago in my hotel. He said that Vladimir thought if they checked into my hotel nobody would suspect. Which was obviously right.""Then he told they were going to deport mother and Louis to the States by today evening," Harry supplied, "there is an airbase on the Western part of Messina which had a dusty old wooden house where they are being held as a hostage.""What assurance do you have that the dog won't blabber this to that arse?" Zayn asked him. "My men are keeping a check on the said arse and he's already shot by what I hear." Harry informed him.When they reached the designated place, it wasn't a few seconds before they were greeted with a wall of gunfire. Skillfully all of them got out of the car keeping themselves low. "Harry you get in and find Louis, we'll handle it here," Niall called out to him to which he nodded and quickly made his way to the dusty house, as the bullets behind him continued to fire against one another."Don't come over here, Harry!" Louis' screams echoed."Get out they'll kill you!" He quietly followed the screams which lead to the basement. The dark basement had one bulb lit enough to show a person in the dark holding a gun on Louis' head."Louis," he said running towards him but the gun pointed towards him instead. "Don't even think about it!" The figure said walking out of the darkness.Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Troye stood before him with his hand firmly gripped around the gun.
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It was Troye standing before him with his grip firmly on the gun. Harry looked at him in disbelief, he turned around and wiped the sweat droplets off his face. He was still unable to comprehend the abrupt turn of events, "Why?" "Because I love Vladimir. I can do anything for him. I was least loved in the family!" He explained circling Louis with his face stirred up in disgust. "Always it was you or Kendall! Never me, I was always neglected," he continued to shout, "and after Louis arrived, he was a star but then I found Vladimir who loved me and cared for me and that's when I understood who I was going up against.""And Jacob?" "Jacob was just a ploy to assure nobody doubted me," he smiled wickedly, "he got to know about me and Vlad after he left from Aunt Veronica's place so we shot him and crashed the car.""Where is that asshole?" "I'm sitting right here.""Where is my mother?!"That's when Harry felt a gun on his neck. He slowly turned to see Anne standing behind him. The temperature dropped significantly and the tension in the air grew slick. Confusion spread like a disease through his body when he noticed what had actually happened."Mother what are you doing with a gun?""Something I should have done years ago," she said walking over to Troye's side, "I've hated you since your birth Harry.""Because your bastard father separated me from my son," she stroked Vladimir's head lovingly, "and put you and your sister into my life by force!"Harry's eyes flickered towards his husband who was looking at the scene before him in absolute surprise and no knowledge of what was occurring."Mother I don't really understand-""Of course you wouldn't!" She snapped, anger evident in her voice, "You don't really know anything about your fucking father. He is just a son of a bitch who wanted everything his way!""Men are like that vile, disgusting, selfish," she spat with hatred dripping from her voice, no doubt she firmly meant each and every word of it. She paced closer to Harry and kept her gun on his chest. "Stay away from him!" Louis warned, "Don't touch him with your treacherous fingers, you bitch!"Abandoning her son, she tread towards Louis with a sardonic smile, "Louis! My dear Louis!" said her smouldering voice, "You are telling this only because you love him otherwise you would understand my feelings."Louis' blue eyes were beaten into a thorough glare in distinct aversion to her opinion. "Stephan was a very wanted man in Italy when he was young, my marriage to him was like yours by compromise but more brutal," she said with her head hung low."I had been in love with a man named Casio, I was pregnant with his child too but at that time, he owned a meager business handling away from Messina." She continued narrating. "My father had just one daughter, he had to save his business by handing me in marriage to Stephan.""Your asshole of a father had an infatuation towards me in high school but I had rejected him and chosen Casio. He challenged me that he will have me in the end which he did by thorough force and absolute manipulation," she spat out like it was poison in her mouth with her gun static on the base of Harry's neck, "He orphaned my son and killed Casio, allegedly snatched his territories then acted like he owned me. After marriage he openly stated that I was nothing more than a challenge from high school, he was in love with one of the mob boss' wife, who was ill-treated by her husband." "He met her and her son during a socialising event. She eventually died in an assasination. After that her husband had been killed by Stephan. Thus he inherited my father's empire, Casio's and that woman's husband's. And then the capo did something unexpected." She stopped talking suddenly, like reminiscing what Stephan did."He took in the poor boy under his care," she said with furrowed eyebrows, "He saw Flavia in the young boy, her intelligence, her strength, her power and most of all her eyes. He grew up to become the most skilled Don, New York City had ever seen."She then walked back to Louis, "Haven't you ever wondered Louis why did Stephan love you so much, more than his own offsprings? Why a mafia boss helped a tiny pathetic orphaned boy like you who didn't even share his blood?" She growled with anger coursing through her veins."I knew about it but what could I do? But then I visited Veronica and at a party saw man vaguely similar to Casio. Vladimir." She smiled encouraged by the memory, "It was difficult but not impossible to convince my darling son but he understood.""Stephan made my entire life a game so I taught him how to play it. I knew his life was invested in Louis. Nothing mattered to him more than Louis. He had skipped Troye's high school graduation because Louis was going to write his SATs that weekend. He loved him so much that it was almost pathetic.""To disable me," Louis answered with a poisonous stare," everything that happened to me in the States was because of you, you wanted dad to suffer.""Exactly." Anne smiled wickedly, "You should've seen the devastating state that bastard was in, it brought pleasure to me.""Then I thought why don't I give the suggestion of getting you married to Louis. This way he would be before Stephan's eyes but would suffer in pain because you didn't love him," she laughed in a sadistic manner," but then you both started bonding and that was a problem. We attempted to kill you the other day but you were just taken down by a few shots.""Why did you do all this?" Harry asked in a voice which was dried because of the revelation. Vladimir rose from his seat, "Don't you understand? It's revenge. For my father. For his ranks. For his respect.""How do you plan to avenge him? By manipulating Harry to your side by spilling your heartbroken tale or by killing Louis?!" A voice screamed. Unnoticed to Harry Stephan had entered through the alternative entrance and now he had a gun on Vladimir's head and his arm around his neck. "I believed your facade until Zayn called me and asked to send men here which was Casio's former farmhouse," he spat out with vengeant, "Now Anne step away." He directed and asked her to step away from Louis, he then gestured Harry to untie him. While Stephan was instructing his son, Troye quietly aimed the gun at his father's leg and shot him, which made him fall onto the floor.Harry was quick enough to shoot Vladimir while pushing Louis aside and defending his father. Anne quickly picked up Vladimir and Troye hit his brother's hand which tossed the gun to the other side and dragged his father to the same position in which Vladimir was. Louis immediately hit him but Troye's grip didn't loosen. Catching him by the neck, he plunged into his back with his knee and pulled him down by the neck which freed his father. Troye kicked his leg and pushed him to the floor, Louis then tackled him to the ground, pushing him aside and pulling himself up but Troye pulled him by the ankle. Meanwhile, Harry aimed at his brother's hand to prevent him to do any harm to Louis but a bullet pierced his arm and torso. He freed Vladimir from Anne's grip pushing her aside and smashed the man's face to the wall. "You broke my family, killing you with a bullet won't suffice my thirst." Vladimir tried to throw him away which he was unsuccessful. Harry continued to hit him against the wall repeatedly and hauled him back to punch him in the gut again. That's when Louis's cries snapped his attention. Troye hit the ground while Louis was writhing in pain, he had attacked his stomach. Stephan had his gun firmly pointing towards Troye and when he decided to pull the trigger, the blonde's face turned soft, "Daddy, you're not gonna shoot me right?" His grip loosened on the gun, Troye pushed the gun with his leg before he could get up, several rounds of gunshots were heard and Troye laid dead before Stephan's eyes. "He would've killed you, dad," Louis said standing up. "Louis, come here," Harry called for him. He limped to the place. He pushed Vladimir down on his knees."He is yours to finish," he said. "Louis. No... You aren't gonna kill me, right? I loved you, remember," Vladimir said frightened and began moving towards the wall. Louis stared down at him with a feeling of cold ice thrumming through his veins. It was instrumental, he had been in Vladimir's steps a few years prior but time certainly did change. Turning a deaf ear to his pleas, Louis pulled the trigger.Stephan came over to his son's side and kissed his forehead, "It's over." "Not yet. It's not over yet." Anne spoke from the shadows"Mom put the gun down," Harry told calmly, "just put it down.""No." She snapped and then turned the gun to Louis, "You killed my son. I'll kill you!"He pulled the trigger and began to fire rapidly. Louis' eyes shut automatically and anticipated the bullets to pierce through his skin but nothing of the sort even occurred. On opening his eyes, he saw Stephan's body sprawled onto the floor with blood gushing out from the multiple wounds which remained on him.Before Anne could do any more damage Niall and his team had arrived. Zayn grabbed the gun and knocked her out."Dad?! No! Dad!" Louis screamed, "Harry call an ambulance.""Louis stop." Stephan restricted, holding his hand, "Harry come here."The mob boss knelt down. "I'm sorry for the truth I hid from everyone.""I'm sorry for the lies I told, the attention I didn't give my children, I cannot apologize to Anne and I know what I did was unforgivable but I am sorry," he said in between as his breathing grew heavier, "Harry keep him safe, keep Kendall and Lia safe and be a better husband, a better father than I ever was. Forgive your mother, it was because of me she took this step.""Dad, please don't go," he begged with tears rolling down her eyes. "Hey, you're my bravest son. You're not gonna cry, alright?" He said cupping Louis' cheek." Bury me next to Flavia, Flavia Tomlinson."Soon his words came to a halt and so did his heart.
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Four years laterThe brilliance of New York City never seemed to dim through the night. The glimmer just brightened up as the sun went down and came back through with the next morn. The night sky was shimmering with stars, as the darkest of blues painted through it. The cold persisted without any precipitation. Christmas lights were scintillating through the houses he passed by when he finally arrived over to his house. Knocking the door of his house, he heard the ruckus which was going on in the background as his husband and whoever was in the chaotic haul behind the doors. "I'm coming!" Louis' sweet voice called out and in moments the door swung open to show a man in a white sweater over blue joggers and a hairband with reindeer antlers. "Hey! You must've got the wrong address! This is not your house." He smiled and shut the door before Harry stopped the slam with his hand, pushing it to the other side. "Doll, I'm-""Don't 'Doll' me, Harry Styles," Louis snapped and went into the living room where all of their friends and family present. "Louis, I'm sorry I'm so late." He apologized in all honesty, following him to the kitchen making his way past Zayn who mouthed a 'You're dead meat' to which Niall enthusiastically nodded his head to while Viola played with Kendall. Answering him with a middle finger, he continued to chase after Louis to the kitchen which was filled with Christmas delights. "Louis, I'm sorry I wasn't there during most of the day." Harry apologized, hugging his tummy from behind. Turning towards him, Louis gave him a sceptical look, "Bold of you to assume that you weren't there for the most of the day.""You weren't there through the day." Louis snorted. "Hon, you know the meeting was important if I'd let it go unchecked-""-so my birthday is not important?" "Louis, you know that's not what I meant!" Harry justified, as he wriggled himself out of the Mobster's grasp and made a run to the living room. "Lou!" Harry interrupted and followed him, as he sat down in between Kendall and Niall. "You missed the cake, you missed wishing me-""-I left you a note!""-a note doesn't count! Your physical presence does!" Liam countered. "Whose side are you on?" He questioned Liam incredulously. "Where is my princess? Probably she could understand her father.""Not if the said father did wrong things and you aren't touching her until you go have a bath!""Fine but where is she?" He questioned him. "Have a bath." Louis deadpanned."Fine!" Harry called out and stomped his way up the staircase to do the said errand.On arriving back downstairs, Harry noticed that Louis was still equally pissed and sat down beside Niall, "How long until he breaks?""Tomorrow morning." "Ten minutes." "Hundred dollars.""You're on."The doorbell rang again and this time Cara was the one to open it. A man clad in black brought in a trolley with a huge box seated on top of it. "Delivery for Mister Tomlinson."Louis piped his head from the kitchen and strolled towards the trolley. "Happy Birthday, Sir." He wished and retreated to the door.On removing the top covering of the box, he was presented with a three-tier cake with Louis' chibi dolls all over them. The bottom tier of the silver frosting had his, Niall and Zayn's dolls and the other side had him seated on a miniature sofa with Liam and Kendall, running through the second tier was him and Harry in together on what seemed like a bed and on top of it all on the first tier was Louis in a doctor's outfit with a injection in his hand. "Still don't forgive me?"Louis was too fascinated to respond to his husband's call, "That's me with Kendall there!" He pointed out with a grin, obsessing over the rest of the cake. Turning towards Niall, Harry just put his palm toward him and the blonde man quickly removed a hundred dollar bill to had it over to him. "Cheater." He remarked sharply while Harry just grinned quietly in response. After the cake was cut, Louis was still unconvinced of Harry's sincerity in response to the birthday until he began to play with his daughter. "Princess, tell your Mumma to be nice to Daddy." He told the blue-eyed girl who was smiling in her father's arms.Surprisingly, the girl turned towards Louis and reached out to her mother to convey to be taken by her mother instead which Louis instantly did. "Mumma.. Nice...Da!" She pronounced incoherently with an adorable smile surfacing on her lips which gave rise to the tiny dents on her cheeks. Louis glared at Harry who was just laughing at the whole scenario. He found it absolutely amusing that regardless of the situation his baby girl always took his side. "Now could you let me off the hook?" "I'll think." Louis conceded."Lou!" Harry whined as he took his daughter to the kitchen. Wrapping his arms around Louis, successful in cornering his daughter and his husband, slipping his hand around his waist lurching forward towards his chest while their daughter's blue eyes flickered in between. "Karylle, tell your Mummy to forgive me," Harry requested his daughter."Princess tell him not to be mean and selfish anymore." Louis countered. "Mummy...forgive...Da...Da..not..sellif.."Louis' jaw slackened while Harry showcased a grin on his lips at the side which his daughter had picked up. "You know what? You keep her! I'll leave the two of you!" Louis declared. "Mummy....leave...no!" Karylle exclaimed."You want your father anyway!" Louis told her. "Mummy...mean!" "Harry Styles, whatever enchantment you've put on her, I demand you to remove it." Louis addressed, clearly unimpressed. Pulling Louis closer to his person, Harry kissed his cheek, "Sorry, doll. You know I love you." "I wish I didn't," Louis pouted. "Don't say that," Harry kissed his forehead and pecked his lips. "Your daughter is right here, don't scar her," he chided. "You forgive me?""Don't want to but do I have a choice?" "None at all except to bear with me." He answered and kissed Louis' neck.
* * *
The next when Harry woke up, it was in the wee hours of dawn when Christmas lights had still been shining through the streets. On noticing that the other side of the bed was cold, Harry felt himself abandoning his sleep to go in search of his husband.Moving through the house, he realised that Louis was present nowhere and before he could call in a panic attack at the other occupants of the house for the holiday, he the backyard door ajarNudging the wooden door, he saw Louis seated on the footsteps. Quietly, he made his way to sit beside his husband who was startled by his presence. "Why are you up?" He questioned him and sat down beside him."You know why.""Baby, it's been four years, please don't think about that." "Not that easy, Haz." He said huddling closer up to wrap his arm around his husband. Harry didn't say anything to reassure his husband because there wasn't a way to provide him with any sort of certainty. Four years and Harry was aware that a few wounds healed with time but a few were just there, those wounds were imprinted on the soul, not upon the skin and those wounds never passed even if time did. The entire revelation at the farmhouse was too much for any of them to bear. Harry had put through a full specs investigation on what his mother had claimed and nearly every single word she said was true except for the part where the affair was going on before her marriage to Stephan. Louis' mother had been married to his father for the same amount of time Anne had been married to Stephan and they had lived in Chicago for quite a lot of time. Louis was even born in Chicago before they migrated to Messina and the affair had been embarked upon. On reaching Messina, Louis' father had promptly abandoned the two of them which was an instigating factor for Flavia to go as far ahead as to poison him, thereby killing him and inheriting the rest of the Empire under the Tomlinson name and signed it over to the Styles' household and eventually died when she was gunned down in a street fight.Stephan had eventually taken Louis to the States and the rest was history. Although for convenience's sake he said that Louis' mother was a close friend and had died due to poor health to the boy after the abandonment of her husband. On informing the entire situation to Kendall and Cara, they suggested that the best option was for them to leave Italy which is what Harry did. He left it in the hands of Cara while he moved down to New York with Louis where their daughter Karylle Meredith Styles was born and they had been there ever since. Through the years, Louis had concluded his med school and had quickly gotten specialisation in cardiology. Niall and Shawn had become better friends. Regardless, Harry couldn't forget what Niall did but he did forgive him. Zayn and Liam were going to tie the knot in the spring which was going to approach. All in all, life was good. It was peaceful if not perfect with an exception of these few relapses the two of them had. "Louis?" Harry questioned."Hmm?""Let's go inside, we can catch up on some more sleep." He told him and kissed his cheek, picking him up from the place and carrying him. Perching him on the bed, he kissed his forehead and stumbled next to Louis."Harry?" "Something bothering you again?""We're expecting again."This caught Harry's attention, as he lurched up to see his face, "What did you just say?""We're expecting again. Karylle is going to have a baby brother or a baby sister."Scratch that. Life was more than peaceful. It was happy.