Midnight ☆ L.H (au)

prolougue - the beginning

12:12 am

My ears were ringing from the loud shrill of the bell above me. There were numerous people in the makeshift ring in front of me, but two of them caught my attention: One guy with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes, and the other being a familiar blonde with piercing blue orbs staring aimlessly into the roaring crowd.

Where do I know him from?

The two were dressed in their respective corners of the ring, taking slow and steady breaths with eyes locked on each other.

The bell rang and the two men clashed, each throwing devastating blows that sent ripples through the air. The atmosphere was thick, almost filled completely to the brim with tension and anticipation. The brunette boxer was quick on his feet, jabbing and dodging his opponent's attacks. The blonde boxer was a brick wall, taking hit after hit without flinching.

The horrors displayed right in front of me caused my lips to quiver and throat to tighten, "Oh my god", I whisper to myself, looking around at the sea of people shouting nonsense and threats to one another. A few threw money at the judges like their lives depended on it, betting on the two and who'd knock each other out first.

I couldn't tear my eyes away, no matter how much I wanted to.

I took as many pictures as my storage card could handle before lowering the camera right as the blonde limped towards his corner and sat down.

His face was mangled, almost completely beyond recognition with blood dripping from his mouth and nose and ruined his pearly white uniform. I stood directly behind him now, his back shining slick from the bright LED industrial light. His crew sprayed water in his mouth and patted him down with cold towels, screaming insults at him to get his adrenaline flowing.

I look up at him, his mindless eyes averting from the ring and to his coach who crouched next to him and spoke in his ear harshly. His head immediately swung back and his blue eyes locked with mine for a quick moment, a puzzled look painted his face as he looked between me, the crowd, and the camera held on tight with my nimble fingers.

"This was no place for someone like you."

The bell rings one last time, signaling the last match is beginning and he tears his eyes from mine reluctantly and stands up while shoving his bloodied mouth guard back into his mouth with one hand. He stumbles his way back into the middle of the ring, his body begging to drop as he staggers forward. The brunette throws a jab, missing the blonde by mere inches. He takes this as an opportunity and swings quickly, his bare fist colliding with the other's jaw with a loud crack.

The crowd roared as his body collapsed to the floor, blood spilling from his mouth.

I wasn't even sure if he had a pulse before I was shoved forward within the crowd surged for front row of the scene before me.

The bell dings multiple times indicating that the blonde had won the match.