Capture (A Liam AU)

Nineteen

I'm frozen against the brick wall, Liam's dark eyes trained on me, he looks almost fearful. "Liam, I just want to help." I whisper.

"Please, don't." His voice isn't strong and gravelly anymore but almost a whimper like noise. I don't know why but I instinctively reach up and caress his cheek "Don't get too close to me." He grabs my hand pushing it away. "I'm no good." Then he coils away and starts walking up the sideway again. I follow him.

"You don't have to be a stubborn ass, you know?" I huff catching up with him as we turn the corner, our flats coming into view. His hand is holding his ribs as he hobbles slowly towards the building. I reach out and loop his arm around my shoulders boosting him up and helping him walk. I'm not sure if it is because he is actually hurt of maybe he's too tired to fight any more tonight but he lets me, I feel him lean into me.

He looks to be on the verge of tears but he swallows hard suppressing the waterworks. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"You should try it sometime." I joke getting him to smile, a genuine smile too, no sneer behind this look.

We made our way up to the third floor as I helped Liam walk stabilizing him as he went.

He was turning green with each step. "Where are your keys?" I asked him as he rested against the wall.

"You going to rob me?" He huffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Liam, you're a mess, you need some ice and a few pain killers." I tell him as I hold on to his body keeping his weight on me despite my obvious struggle to do so. "Keys?" I hold out my hand as he slaps them into my palm. I unlocked his door helping him through the frame.

His place surprises me. It's minimalistic, but full of features. I set him down on the steel grey couch on the center of the room. "I'll get you some ice then." I tell him as I make my way to his kitchen.

"You're making too big of a fuss over me." Liam groaned.

"You're pretty ugly already, I'm trying to get those bruises not to be permanent." I scoff returning to him with the bag of ice. As I sit down I graze his ribcage with my elbow, a very light touch but Liam winces and turns green again.

"You're hurt Liam." I tell him. "Let me help you."

"I'm fine." He tells me sternly.

I roll my eyes. "Shut up and take your shirt off." I instruct him.

He eyes me uncertainty. "Your foreplay needs work doll face." I wait for him to undress. Finally he pulls his white shirt over his head slowly. I gasp seeing the dark bruises across his torso. "I'm fine." He repeats seeing the look on my face.

"You're not fine."

"I've been worse."

"Lay down." I tell him forcing him to lay down using my legs as a pillow for his head. I set the ice on his aching ribs as he closes his eyes while I rubbed my fingers through his hair trying to get him to relax.

"You don't have to sit with me." He says with eye closed. I smile looking down at him.

"Go to sleep." I whisper.

He nestled into the couch cushions even deeper as I continued to finger comb his hair. My eyes track the wounds and bruises along his skin, some fresh others faded but still present.

"How do I know you're not going to rob me once I fall asleep?" He murmured lazily.

"I live across the hall for one." I groan.

"Fine." He opened his eyes sitting up gingerly "I need a drink." He staggered towards the kitchen. I watched him walking away as I admired the curves of his features.

"When did you get all those scars?" I asked casually.

"Long time ago." He said gulping from a bottle of Jack Daniels.

"Do they hurt?"

"Does it matter?" His voice is salty again. I back off.

Rising from my seat I come to stand next to him in the kitchen pulling the bottle from his hand I take a sip myself feeling the smooth warm liquor slide down my throat into the meaty part of my body. He watches me with intrigue. I give the bottle back after I'm done as he puts it to his lips a drinks again. My mind settles on them as I wonder how the Tennessee whisky would taste off his lips. I push the thought of kissing him from my mind as I distract myself with the pictures on Liam's fridge. I step forward to look at them. In many of them Liam isn't present but I look on the faces of strangers tying to find an insight into Liam's life.

My eyes land on one picture of two boys, Liam next to the man I ran into in our hallway, they are both smiling from many years earlier. I raise my hand to reach up and touch the image but Liam's hand covers the picture with a slap starting me.

"Who is he?" I ask.

"Get out!" Liam yells loudly making me jump. The bottle quivering in his hand.

"You obviously knew him."

Liam turns throwing the bottle of Jack against the brink wall shattering it into a trillion pieces. "GET OUT OF MY APARTMENT!" He bellows as I scurry away from him.

"Liam please!" I beg at the door but he opens it and pushes me out into the hall slamming it shut between us. I lean back into his door crying silently as a door opens up behind me.

"Emma?" Harry's voice floats towards me.