For God and Country (Larry Stylinson)

Chapter 1

We have another assignment for you.

"Details?"

Left it on your coffee table while you were at the gym.

Louis rolled his eyes. Headquarters always thought they were some big shit because they knew where Louis lived, and his mom's name, and whatever. But honestly, if Louis ever felt the need he could easily find out the idenities of his silent counterparts and do with them what he will. And they knew that, so the fact that they walked right into his apartment while he's not there is more of a mild annoyance than a concern.

"I'll look at it tonight." With that he hung up the phone and stashed it in his back pocket. He had his gym bag over his shoulder and sweat on his skin, but he loved the feeling of leaving the gym in better shape than when he got there. He used to hate the gym, in his former life, but with this job you're either the fittest or your fucked, so he made sure to maintain his physical peak.

The wind was slight today, just enough to cool his overheated skin. Everything was washed in a bright glow underneath the afternoon sun. The brick's looked pink instead of dark red, the concrete a milky light gray. He'd just gotten back from an assignment and wasn't supposed to take another one on until next week at least, but when Headquarters calls, you answer.

Louis walked up the front steps of his apartment building, stepping over the crack that he always caught the toe of his shoe on, and into the cool air. He checked his mailbox, mostly for show. No one knew who he was, much less where he lived, so he never got mail. Except a few paper adverts from cable and life insurance companies.

Today it was a coupon for a large two topping for $8.99. Pizza? Maybe I'll have pizza for dinner. But Louis always felt like the food he ate. And he didn't want to feel like grease and too much sauce tonight. So nix that plan. He'd probably just get a chicken salad delivered from the cafe down the street.

He trudged up the three flights of stairs to his two bedroom. The key always got stuck and Louis had to wiggle the doorknob to get it back out. He hated the color in the extra bedroom, but never got around to changing it, and now he couldn't be bothered. It wasn't a palace, but it was where he laid his head when he wasn't on the job. Which is as close to a home he's had in a decade.

He saw the envelope siting on his scratched wood coffee table but he pointedly ignored it. It could wait until he ingested something that resembled food. He opened his frig, knowing what he would find, but looking anyway. Two cold ones, half a bottle of mustard (Why do I have mustard and nothing to put it on?), and an old loaf of bread that he put in there after Googling how to make bread last longer. It didn't work, if the mold was anything to go by.

Louis opened the cabinet and took down a Cup of Soup. It wasn't even chicken flavored. He'd gotten the variety pack and eaten all the chicken ones first, so now he was stuck with beef or shrimp. He chose beef and filled it with water and sent it off to the microwave. He needed a new microwave. The three button was broken.

If anyone knew how much money Louis actually had and saw how he lived they'd probably hit him on principal. But Louis never saw the need to fix his place up. He lived there maybe six weeks out of the year so there was no point. He'd much rather spend his money on his baby, a silver 2014 Audi S5, or on his favorite Viktor & Rolf suits, instead of a shitty apartment he was rarely at.

He ate the salty noodles until his stomach couldn't take anymore of the cheap food and he decided to go shower. It took an extra minute to make sure the sketchy water temperature evened out. When it did he set it to scalding and got it. Louis let every droplet of dirty city water take a tiny bit of stress down the drain with it. He let the problems that he refused to face drop off of him and into the sewers below, never to be seen again. He didn't have room for problems in his career.