Matching Rings [h.s]

20

"Oh for fuck sakes..." Harry mumbled.

Niall's back was turned to us, only his eyes were glued on Harry through the mirror. I stepped out of the stall, allowing Niall to see that I was in fact in there with Harry, he glanced at me for a second then focused his gaze back to Harry. Niall looked bewildered— not expecting us both to come out of the same stall, not that I blame him.

Niall's bottom lip was busted open in the corner, both his eyes were darkened with bruises and he had countless cuts scattering across his cheekbones and jaw. One very prominent gash was scabbing at the top of his forehead near his hairline.

He looked horrible.

My breathing stopped just at the sight of him. The last time I saw him I blew up into a full blown panic attack and that was only from seeing him from across the room. I wasn't prepared to be face to face with Niall and I definitely didn't want to break out into panic again. My brain couldn't process the fact that he was standing right in front of me. I had no idea how my body was going to react.

But I guess we're about to find out.

"N-Niall." I whimpered out almost shyly with my voice soft and quiet. My breathing was trying to recover from the panting memory of what happened with Niall at the movies, along with that fact that I was still quite out of breath from the heavy make out that he just interrupted.

I made sure to cover the blemishes on my neck with my hair so that Niall didn't see them, to avoid anything more awkward.

Niall spun around to face us, my heart dropped for some unknown reason. His bright piercing blue eyes were open wide and staring directly at Harry, he looked fearful as to what was going to happen.

There was silence and a hefty amount of tension between the two boys.

I glanced over at Harry, he stood with interrogation and his eyebrows heavily furrowed. His jaw was also clenched, making the muscles on his jaw line tense. I trailed my sight to both his hands that were down in tight fist at his side. I noticed all the gashes on his beat up hands again— then looked back at Niall's beat up and bruised face.

I connected the dots on my own this time.

"Harry did you-" I was cut off my my own unsteady breath, looking back at Niall I noticed his wistful stare was now on me— waiting for me to finish speaking. "Was Niall the person you beat up?"

My question intruded with Harry's intense hateful stare at the blonde boy, and caused him to break his eyes off Niall and turn to me at his side. He cleared his throat and procrastinated his response, telling me that he didn't want to answer my question— giving me a clear yes to my accusation.

"Harry why the hell would you do that?" I snapped.

I saw that Harry was still very flustered, he again didn't answer my question— filling the room with tensful silence. I felt almost betrayed, I would never want Harry to feel the need to attack someone under my reason. He shouldn't do that for me, I can handle my own problems without needing his protection.

I can't be mad at Harry though, Niall is a dick and he had it coming, but I still don't want Harry fighting my battles for me.

"I deserved it." Niall murmured, breaking the silence.

Both our eyes shot directly over to Niall— in shock at his answer to the question that was not intended for him.

"What?" Harry said as he shook his head in confusion.

"I deserved it." He repeats himself, shrugging his shoulders in spite. He continued speaking when he saw the lack of clarity on both our faced. "What I did to Baylin wasn't okay, at all. I should have stopped the second you told us to get back to the movie, I just assumed you were doing it to play hard to get, but I was wrong."