We Can Both Remove The Masks (1D, crime!AU)
We Can Both Remove The Masks
AU where Louis steals things to decode messages from Harry
because iguessthatimade me (again)
Warnings: crime, genderswap,
title taken from Over Again - One Direction
17 November - 350 words.
Louis hadn't heard from Harry in two weeks, and he was getting desperate.
The problem with being in love with a criminal mastermind currently hiding in a different country was that contact was, at best, sporadic and sketchy. Louis often didn't know when he was going to hear from Harry, and relying on a (stolen) police scanner and news reports was discouraging at the best of times. The weeks (months) when Louis wasn't sure if Harry was still alive were the worst.
That's not to say that there weren't perks. Louis got postcards, sent through general mail, from all over the world, with cryptic messages - often just a channel and a time, but those were Louis' favorite. Sometimes they came as encrypted emails, and Louis would have to break out his (retired) skills to steal a better laptop so he could crack the encryption quickly. The last time he had tried to crack one of Harry's encryption patterns on his personal computer, it had melted. He'd laughed, tinkly and bright, before stealing a whole new system.
The messages that were just a channel and a time were Louis' favorite because it meant that Harry would be broadcasting. He'd borrow someone's living room for the evening - a politician currently traveling was always a nice excuse to borrow some brandy, too - and curl up to watch the latest broadcast. Louis' own laugh would interrupt whatever the regular program was - he still hated Harry for using that soundbyte as the intro sound, but he supposed it was flattery in Harry's mind - and then Harry's face would fill the screen.
Without fail, Louis would sigh happily as he took in the sight of Harry's round face, healthy and still alive. Harry's broadcasts were never directed at Louis, but there were little signs in all of them. A wink at the beginning meant that Louis should expect a present soon. A travel flyer on the desk meant Harry'd be moving cities after this. Most importantly, if the top three buttons of Harry's blouse were undone - she was coming home.