LITG Oneshots

cocked and loaded - Henrik/Lucas (Mature)

Henrik Bergström breathes a sigh of relief as he tosses his rucksack onto the floor of the cherry red car and sinks into the leather seat, shutting the door behind him.

"Watch it!" Magnus glares at him from the driver's seat as he shifts the car into gear. "How many times do I have to tell you not to slam the fucking door?"

He shrugs, earning an eye roll from his brother. The tires squeal as the car lurches into motion.

"Any trouble?" Magnus yells over the heavy metal blasting through the speakers.

"Only a little." Henrik lowers the volume to a more reasonable level for conversation. "Got questioned, but the Swedish tourist act worked like a charm once again."

It worked, but his heart is still pounding from the adrenaline. No matter how many times he does this, the rush never quite goes away. But that's good — it keeps him sharp.

"Good. Rasmus will be happy."

They drive to a nondescript commercial building not far away. On the street level, it houses a bookstore on one side and a pub on the other, but they ignore both and head up a metal staircase to the first-floor flat, where they find their older brother, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips as he pores over a set of blueprints.

He doesn't look up as he asks, "Get everything?"

"Good to go, boss." Henrik pushes his phone towards his brother. "Should be a simple enough hit."

Rasmus wordlessly takes it and scrolls through the photos Henrik spent the afternoon taking, occasionally squinting and zooming in on various details.

"Good work," he finally says, tossing it back to Henrik, who catches it with ease. "Get those uploaded so I can study them in more detail, and then go over the gear for tonight. I don't want any mishaps like last time."

He shoots a look at Magnus, who rolls his eyes. "Don't look at me!"

"It was your job to—"

"Yeah, yeah, no need to get your knickers twisted. It all worked out in the end, right?"

"Barely," Henrik mutters. His middle brother's lackadaisical attitude has almost cost them on more than a few occasions.

"I heard that!" Magnus shoots Henrik a glare. "I don't need any lip from you, baby brother."

"Maybe if you—"

"Enough!" Rasmus slams his fist on the table, sending a pen clattering to the floor and making both men jump. He takes the cigarette out of his mouth. "Magnus, you know I need you to take this more seriously. There are more important things right now than guns and girls."

Magnus grins. "Men, too."

Rasmus rolls his eyes before turning to Henrik. "Any other plans for today?"

Henrik shrugs. "I figured I'd get in some target practice."

"Good, good. We need to keep those skills of yours sharp. Just don't get too caught up in it. You need to make sure you have time to get ready for your date."

"Sure, no p—"

"How come he gets to go on a date?" Magnus crosses his arms, pushing out his plump lower lip.

"It's his turn." Rasmus leans over to pick his pen up off the floor. "You know how it works."

"I just don't see why I can't do it more often."

"You're already the alibi more often than not, which is exactly why it's Henrik's turn tonight. The coppers will figure out our routine otherwise."

Magnus grumbles, but he knows there's no point in arguing. Once Rasmus makes up his mind, there's little chance of changing it.